


Covens

by luwoo_woocas



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: American Horror Story Coven inspired, Angst, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, I won't tag all ships it is too much, JaeYong - Freeform, Luwoo, M/M, Slow Burn, a lot more ships, a lot of witchcraft, but I give each ship their moments uwu, johnten, luwoo story in disguise, not extremely violent, slow burn for luwoo, this is a LUWOO bias fic, which means there would be a lot of luwoo moments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-23
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2019-10-14 22:10:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 34,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17516753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luwoo_woocas/pseuds/luwoo_woocas
Summary: Lee Taeyong, as Supreme of the Korean coven, feels the immense pressure to protect his coven brothers from darkness. Taeyong begins to notice the rise of members in his coven, which can only mean one thing: danger is coming. The members might have to start considering an alliance with a former enemy; the Chinese coven.The coven embarks on a perilous journey as they fight through time to save not only themselves, but the world. Fantasy, spells, potions, witchcraft, magical creatures and...love?Would you dare join the coven?





	1. Possession

**Author's Note:**

> This story is heavily inspired by elements from American Horror Story: Coven and LOTR. I am not an expert in witchcraft, and some spells are in latin while others might be from words that came from my head haha! I know witch usually is referred as a female who practices witchcraft, but I use it here a lot to mean the nct members. 
> 
> Before you begin, I want to state that this story involves a lot of characters, but the main ship will be Kim Jungwoo and Wong Yukhei aka luwoo. It won't be purely them, but this is just a little warning if the story starts to center around them a lot. 
> 
> For the first chapters, we introduce all the characters and the magical world they live in. Each chapter will begin with a bit of history, since every coven has a story and lineage to tell. 
> 
> Last but certainly not least, enjoy!

Coven History #1

  * The Korean Coven has a rich history, spanning for centuries.
  * The Korean line began with the help of Ming, a Chinese sorcerer that was escaping danger from his homeland.
  * There, the first Korean sorcerer, Heechul, taught twelve other men the power of mystical magic. He later became the first Supreme of the Korean coven.
  * As the Coven began growing, the Korean line was separated into two groups; one in the North based in Seoul, and one in the South based in Busan.



 

_July 2015_

Taeyong looked as his hands, pondering about the case that was presented to his coven yesterday. He focused on his slightly rough calloused hands. He rubbed them, and felt the unevenness in its patterns, and wondered how fast his hands got to that stage. Of course, he knew the main reason, and he softly sighed at himself, knowing it was just the beginning.

It’s been six years ago since he first started his training, and as of today, he hasn’t stopped training relentlessly to master the magical realm. Taeyong still couldn’t believe the nature of his being, and he is still in awe with how difficult it was to just conjure a simple spell.

Magic wasn’t a simple subject to grasp. It’s a concept that has spanned for centuries, and even then, the Korean peninsula was still amateurs in comparison to its Chinese counterparts. Taeyong might not believe it himself, but his Supreme always complimented his natural gift for casting spells that no ordinary witch could do. Taeyong’s training was extra intense since the Council believed he was a good candidate for the next Supreme.

Taeyong couldn’t understand why the Council was already looking for the next Supreme, who was he to question the higher ones?. Taeyong admires Suho a lot, that he cannot think of anyone who can replace him. Though, he does acknowledge that Suho hasn’t been himself these recent years, and it saddened him deeply when he remembers the reason.

“We’re close. Do you think this case is legit?” Jaehyun whispered to Taeyong, who was sitting beside him in the car. “And also, why are we being driven there? We could have just teleported.”

“The humans are not meant to see our _abilities._ Sometimes a good old-fashion driving is safer for us than using magic,” Suho replied from the passenger seat; Jaehyun looking a bit surprised that Suho heard his whisper meant for Taeyong. “Besides, we shouldn’t bother our energy with this case. It’s probably some paranoid humans thinking they are being haunted. If only they knew what a real haunting looks like.”

“Then why did you take this case?” Taeyong said, looking away from his hands and towards Suho, “if you believe it’s not real, why take it in the first place?”

Suho looked at the road, with an emotionless expression. Taeyong believes he hasn’t seen Suho smile once in the last two years. Taeyong looked at the car window, gazing at the homogenous neighborhood houses stretching for miles. He was intrigued at how many people could live in the same exact replica of a house but live very different lives; where one’s concern is missing a soccer game, and another’s could be a haunting.

“The Council _advised_ me to take a look at it,” Suho said condescendingly, “ever since Taeil took the leadership he’s been wanting to investigate every single supernatural case. I told him not to focus in such insignificant human claims, but he insisted. Jihoon took his side too, which wasn’t shocking. I, of course, must obey them. What purpose does a Supreme have when a couple of sorcerers dictate everything you do?”

Jaehyun sighed at Suho’s response and nodded solemnly. Taeyong looked slightly irritated at Suho and huffed loudly. Taeyong hated when Suho judged the way Taeil led the Council. Taeil was a close friend to Taeyong, since they trained together ever since Taeyong joined the coven. Taeyong knew that Suho wasn’t like this, but he also knew that Suho wasn’t in the right state of mind ever since Baekhyun and Kyungsoo passed away. Taeil replaced Kyungsoo as the head of the Council, but Suho has been in denial of the new authority for the last two years.

“If Taeil believed it was something worth looking at, then I think we should take it seriously,” Taeyong began, “After all, he _is_ the head of the Council.”

Immediately after Taeyong finished his sentence, he felt a spark of freezing temperature surrounding his body. He hugged himself and rubbed his arms, trying to expel any heat from his body. He felt the atmosphere darken, as if a dark cloud hovered over them. He knew who was causing them, and Taeyong shot a serious glare towards Supreme. Suho’s eyes were pitch black, but he looked expressionless at the road in front of him.

“Do _not_ tell me Taeil is head of the Council as if I didn’t know that already,” Suho said in a dark tone, “the only reason he is there is because of Kyungsoo’s death—“

“Suho stop it! _Both_ of you stop it. We are here, and I suggest we give a good impression,” Sehun said, as he parked the car in front of an unstable old two-story house. Taeyong finally felt the coldness in his hands and the darkness around him dissipate. Suho’s eyes returned to its normal soft brown-colored eyes, and he glanced judgingly at the house.

“You think a spirit would be haunting a house like _this_ ,” Suho said critically, “these humans think that a floor creak is suddenly ghost. _So_ spooky.”

“Let’s just hear what they have to say,” Jaehyun expressed, opening door next to him and leaping out from the car. He walked towards Taeyong’s side and waited for the witch to get out from the vehicle. Taeyong finally opened the door and stood up, stretching his back from the long ride. He saw Jaehyun waiting for him and smiled sheepishly, which Jaehyun returned. They both walked towards the front of the house, with their hands feeling the slight touch of the other. Taeyong looked away from Jaehyun, knowing his face might turn red if he gazed at the handsome man beside him.

Taeyong remembered his first meeting with Jaehyun, and how he was tasked to teach Jaehyun everything he knew about witchcraft. They spent a plethora of time together alone, training and playing pranks on their peers. _The nice simpler times,_ Taeyong thought.

Jaehyun and Taeyong finally caught up with Suho and Sehun who are waiting for the front door to be opened. Taeyong examined the dusty wooden walls of the house, and he noted that it’s been painted over it, hiding its decaying state. The door flung open, and a slim petite woman came out, and greeted them.

“Thank you so much for coming,” she said, and Taeyong saw the stress lines in her forehead diminish, as if she was relieved by their presence. She gestured them to enter the house, and the four walked inside the house, analyzing the interior details of the residence. Jaehyun noticed how small the living room appeared, and how clustered the furniture filled the room. He saw antique artifacts, and a tiny wooden coffee table with a peculiar old box.

“Please, make yourself at home,” the lady expressed, pointing at the couch, “is there anything you all want to drink? I have coffee and tea—"

“No, thank you. We don’t want to waste anymore of your time, “ Suho interrupted, “May you please explain the… _events_ that led you to contact us?”

The four sorcerers sat down in the couches, with Jaehyun and Taeyong in one couch, and Sehun and Suho in the one beside it. The lady nodded to Suho, and Taeyong saw her eyes darken in fear; she then sat down in a floral-patterned individual chair opposite to the couches. Her hands were shaking, and she looked down at the floor as she sighed deeply. Taeyong felt pity for her and leaned towards her to hold her hands. She looked backed at him, surprised by the act of kindness.

“You can start by saying your name,” Taeyong said softly, “it’s okay, we are only here to help.”

The woman stared at him, and slightly smiled at him. Taeyong felt her tense shaking hands diminish into a calmer state.

“My name is Lia, and I live with my two sons. I… I recently moved into this house, and the first week everything was fine. It all started the second week…” Lia began saying, pausing to clear her throat. Taeyong knew it was something very uncomfortable for her. He saw the genuine fear in her eyes, and he could only imagine the horrors she has seen. He nodded at her, encouraging her to continue.

“The second week, my sons and I went to sleep. I started hearing footsteps around the hallway, and I just thought it was one of my sons. I didn’t think much of it, until I heard one of my sons scream,” Lia said; her voice getting higher and more desperate.

“I immediately ran outside of the room, and rushed towards Hyujin’s room—“

“Who’s Hyujin?” Sehun interrupted.

“My youngest son, he’s only 16 years old,” Lia responded. Sehun nodded and wrote the information down on his notepad. Sehun gestured to continue her story.

“When I opened Hyujin’s room, I saw him on his bed. He was so terrified. So terrified, I’ve never seen him like this,” Lia uttered, choking up some words from remembering that day.

“He told me he saw something hideous. It was a human-like figure with blood-shot eyes and cut up scars on its face. I know it, because I’ve seen it too! After that night, we have seen it roaming around the house and suddenly disappearing. Things started moving, and lights will turn on and off without any of us touching it. I am so _scared._ I ran to the nearest church and told them everything. Only one person believed me. They blessed the house, but it didn’t work. None of the things I tried worked. That _thing_ keeps terrorizing us. I was hopeless, and I didn’t know what to do. I don’t have the money to move into another house. My sons were suffering, and I knew something had to be done. That’s when the same person on the church who helped me, Pastor Migyung, told me he knew about someone who could help me. He said you were all familiar with these types of hauntings,” Lia finished, trembling in her seat, with her eyes wide open and her senses heightened due to the fear.

“We don’t know yet if it is a haunting. We will have to look around the house and decide that ourselves,” Suho remarked, “would you mind me looking at the house?”

“No, please look around all you want. If there is anything you need to know I can answer it,” Lia replied. Suho gave her a curt nod and stood up from the couch.

“Sehun, come with me to explore the house. Jaehyun and Taeyong, stay with Lia, gather more… information,” Suho ordered, walking with Sehun upstairs towards the bedroom. Taeyong looked down at the coffee table, trying to process all the information. It was clear by Suho’s tone that he didn’t believe anything the woman said; but Taeyong felt different, he knew those eyes screamed for someone to help her. He felt the way her hands shook and sweated at just mentioning whatever it is that was haunting her sons. She put her head down and covered it with her hands; she shook her head and tried to contain her tears.

“You don’t believe me, don’t you?” she said tearing up, “No one believes me.”

Taeyong was taken aback over what she said, but deep down she understood her. People, even witches, were always skeptical when it came to hauntings. It was because hauntings were rare, and spirits, or in the worst-case scenarios, demons, never dwelled in houses that had no historical significance. If Taeyong knew one thing about spirits; it’s that they only torture humans if they can gain something from it.

Taeyong stood from the couch and headed towards her. She still had her head down but jerked slightly in surprise when she felt Taeyong’s hands comforting her back.

“I believe you,” Taeyong admitted, smiling softly at her. She looked back at him, and he can see the glimmer of hope from her eyes.

They suddenly heard keys from outside, and the door opened carefully to reveal someone. He had jet black hair, neatly brushed and shiny; his eyes were intense, and exhibited a penetrating stare. He narrowed his eyes at Taeyong and looked back at Lia with confusion.

“Mom, who are these people?” the man asked. Lia stood up and went to hug him tightly. She cupped her hands on his face in endearment.

“They are here to help us,” she said. The man sighed deeply and shook his head in irritation.

“Mom, I told you we don’t need help. Last time we received one it was worse.”

“This must be Hyujin,” Taeyong said, hoping to diminish the tense atmosphere.

“No, this is my oldest son, Doyoung,” Lia explained, patting her son’s shoulders. Doyoung gazed at him menacingly, and it was clear to Taeyong that Doyoung didn’t trust him. Taeyong felt Jaehyun’s presence beside him, and it made Taeyong feel more at ease. Their hands brushed slightly, but Taeyong still focused on Lia and Doyoung.

“They’ll probably make it worse, we don’t need them,” Doyoung fumed, placing his bookbag on the couch.

“We know you are going through a lot right now, Doyoung. But trust us, we could handle this,” Jaehyun replied, standing in front of Taeyong, as if he was protecting him for an unknown reason. The lights in the living room started to flicker into a chaotic pattern. The four in the living room looked at the ceiling, perplexed at the lights going crazy.

Lia gasped loudly as they all saw the couches and the chair shake uncontrollably. Taeyong’s eyes widened and he lifted his arms in defense, but Jaehyun grabbed them and placed them down.

“Taeyong, we can’t use our powers in front of them. You know the rules,” Jaehyun whispered to Taeyong, making Taeyong nod in agreement. The lights finally stopped flickering, and the room was left in a dark state. Jaehyun felt the air sticky, as if someone put the heater in maximum. He felt a dark presence envelop the room and sucking all of them in.

Taeyong’s eyes suddenly turned pure white, and Jaehyun held on to him, worried of what Taeyong might be seeing. Taeyong heard the distant cries from Lia, and Doyoung trying to calm her down. Then he heard the objects in the room shaking furiously, and the lights bursting out of control. Taeyong felt Jaehyun shake his body, trying to bring him back to reality.

“ _Invitis_ ,” Taeyong echoed, and then instantly everything became quiet. Taeyong opened his eyes carefully, gazing around the room. It was dark, with the exception of the small light coming from the cracks of the windows. It was eerily quiet, and no one was in the room. It was only him. Alone, and coldness spreading to his body.

_This is not my world. This is not where I am supposed to be. This must be the shadow realm._

Taeyong breathed deeply, trying to grasp his new-found revelation. He heard stories about the shadow realm, where only the most inhumane spirits and creatures reside. Many sorcerers that have delved inside this realm could only tell inhumane stories. Taeyong felt goosebumps on his arms and felt the hair on his neck stood up. He then heard a long unnatural screech surrounding the house, and it kept getting louder by the second. Taeyong couldn’t bear the sound and felt his heart race as the sound progressed. He felt unsafe, dirty, and appalled at the sound, covering his ears in hopes that it will go away.

 _“Invitus spiritus huc venisti_ _,”_ an unknown entity growled. Taeyong felt shivers all over his body. He took a deep breath, hoping he will calm down. He knew that if anything were to happen, he relied on his magic to protect him.

“I guess you like stereotyping us witches. For your information, I don’t speak Latin,” Taeyong muttered, trying to remain calm, even though his voice was a bit shaky. The entity snarled loudly, causing the house to shake violently.

_“Puer detrahet me”_

Taeyong was glad he took some lessons in Latin, since most spells were spoken in that language. _Bring me the boy? Doyoung? Hyujin?_

“Which boy? Doyoung?” Taeyong asked, earning no response.

“Do you want me to bring you Hyujin?” he asked, and this time, the house erupted into massive shaking. Taeyong fell down hard on the floor and tried to calm his heavy breathing. His vision was blurry, and the only thing he could mildly capture were footsteps walking towards him.

Taeyong abruptly regain consciousness and gasper loudly. He pressed his arms to his chest, breathing heavily and uneven. He felt Jaehyun comforting his back and fixing his hair. He looked around and saw a horrified Lia with her hands covering her lips, and Doyoung looking back at him with concerned eyes.

“Taeyong, calm down and look at me,” Jaehyun said, hoping Taeyong came back to reality. Taeyong looked at him with dread and he felt his eyes tearing up. Jaehyun immediately hugged him and covered his face from everyone.

“It’s okay, I’m here,” Jaehyun asserted, rubbing Taeyong’s back as he kept on hugging him tighter. Jaehyun heard footsteps coming from downstairs, and then he saw Suho and Sehun walking towards them. Taeyong let go of Jaehyun and wiped the one tear that managed to get out.

“We investigated thoroughly,” Suho said as he entered the living room, “and we even met your son, Hyujin. Lovely boy.”

Suho paused to glance at Taeyong puzzling, noticing Taeyong’s uneased state. He looked back at Lia, with a half-smile.

“We concluded that there’s nothing to be worried about,” Suho announced, shocking Jaehyun and Taeyong, “your son even told me that the events your told me were out of proportions. I mean, look at this house, it is very old. Faulty wiring and the wooden floors would surely make strange noises.”

Lia stared at him, completely dismayed at his words. Doyoung grabbed her shoulders comforting, and gave a nasty glare at Suho.

“So you’re calling my mom a liar?”

“Absolutely not,” Suho responded, “I just believe her train of thinking was somewhere that was not factual. Your house is _not_ haunted.”

Lia shook her head, and without a word, walked away from the living room and into the kitchen.

“Wow, _thanks_ for all the help,” Doyoung shot back, and quickly followed his mother.

“Let’s get on our way. It appears that we wasted our time,” Suho said, and began walking towards the door with Sehun. Taeyong and Jaehyun looked at each other in disbelief, doubting for a second what they just experienced. Taeyong shook his head, and ran towards Suho, who was outside ready to get inside the car.

“You’re making a big mistake” Taeyong shouted, causing Suho to stop on his tracks.

“And why is that?” Suho asked, looking unamused.

“Something is happening there,” Taeyong said, pointing at the house, “and we have to help this family.”

Suho’s lips tensed, and his eyes narrowed at Taeyong. He began walking towards the sorcerer, until he was an inch away from Taeyong. He looked at Taeyong dead in the eyes.

“You think you know more than the _fucking_ Supreme?” Suho seethed, “do not test my patience, Taeyong. I am not in the mood.”

Taeyong gulped, looking down at the concrete floor. He knew he couldn’t test the Supreme’s judgement, but he knew what he saw. He knew the Supreme was wrong, and his heart begged him to help Lia’s family.

“Please, let us stay a bit longer. Just to make sure, and you can leave with Sehun. Taeyong and I can find our way home. I promise,” Jaehyun said, trying to calm down the Supreme.

“Yeah, Suho, just let them investigate. It won’t hurt any of us to be sure,” Sehun agreed, sensing Suho’s anger. Suho breathed deeply and closed his eyes. He nodded and looked at Taeyong.

“You two can stay, and hopefully calm down that family,” Suho said, “but from what Hyujin told me, that mother and his brother are just paranoid.”

Taeyong just nodded, not wanting to agitate Suho any further. Suho made one last long look at Taeyong, before turning around and departing into the car with Sehun. Taeyong turned around and saw Jaehyun standing in front of the door.

“Thank you,” Taeyong simply said to Jaehyun.

“No problem, what matters most is helping Lia,” Jaehyun expressed, gesturing for Taeyong to enter the house. As soon as they entered the house, Lia came out from the kitchen with Doyoung. They were surprised fo see Taeyong and Jaehyun.

“Weren’t you all leaving because there wasn’t nothing to worry about apparently,” Doyoung remarked, slightly irritated from the whole fiasco. It was clear he was still shaken by the events that happened in the living room.

“We just want to make sure everything is indeed fine,” Taeyong said, “after all, we all experienced something weird in that room.”

“Especially since that _thing_ said he wanted my brother,” Doyoung said, earning confused glares from the rest of them.

“Wait, how did you know that?” Taeyong asked, believing he was the only one who experienced the shadow realm. Doyoung just shrugged and looked at Taeyong innocently.

“It’s just something I’m guessing,” Doyoung replied, “it’s like I _feel_ it.”

Taeyong saw him with suspicion, but before he could ask anything else, they all heard a scream from upstairs.

“Hyujin!” Lia yelled, running desperately upstairs; terrified that something happened to her son. Taeyong, Jaehyun, and Doyoung followed her and the lights throughout the _whole_ house began flickering. None of them paid attention to it, since their biggest worry was the safety of Hyujin. Taeyong ran towards the hallway, until he finally reached Hyujin’s bedroom. He opened his mouth when he saw the boy acting maniacally, convulsing and foaming from his mouth. Lia screamed, horrified at seeing her son like this.

“Doyoung, get your mother out! It’s not safe here,” Taeyong ordered, covering her from the presence of her son.

“No! I can leave my son alone!” Lia shouted, tears falling down her eyes.

“Doyoung, please listen to me! Get her out. Now! Your brother is possessed and it’s incredibly dangerous,” Taeyong screamed, giving a desperate glare to Doyoung. The raven-haired man nodded and grabbed his mother who was crying out hysterically.

“Please save my son! Promise me you’ll save my son! Promise me!” Lia yelled as she was being dragged by Doyoung.

“I promise!” Taeyong shouted, “but now you must go!”

Doyoung finally managed to get Lia outside the room, closing the door behind them.

“I’ve never seen a possession like this,” Jaehyun said, “its completely taken over the body.”

“Whatever is causing this, it really wants this boy,” Taeyong concluded, lifting his arms up.

“From the power of the Earth, I command you to leave this boy,” Taeyong declared, casting a powerful reality spell. The boy laughed inhumanly, and bended his arms in angles that were unnatural.

“You foolish man. You think a stupid spell can get rid of me? Not even your Supreme can banish me,” a possessed Hyujin hissed, making cracking sounds that terrified Jaehyun and Taeyong. Jaehyun tried restraining the boy, but he was too powerful. Jaehyun chanted a spell to grant him super strength, but before he can finish, Hyujin pushed him; making Jaehyun’s body fly into the wall. Taeyong looked at the events unfold, desperately wanting to yell Jaehyun’s name, though he knew he couldn’t get distracted. Right now, Taeyong had Hyujin locked inside a bubble, which served as a shield.

“ _Geniti forent pelli_ ” Taeyong shouted, trying his best to keep the protection and cast his other spell. The other spell was meant to cast malevolent spirits and demons out. Hyujin screeched across the room, which caused Taeyong’s ear to feel immense pain. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Jaehyun stand up and look at him.

“I’ll make the protection, you try to cast it out,” Jaehyun suggested, and Taeyong nodded in agreement. Jaehyun’s eyes turned pure white as he chanted the protection spell, using all his might to keep it stable. Hyujin growled and started spewing out blood from his mouth.

“ _Ima un dende_ ” Taeyong lifted his hands, chanting an ancient spell from a dead witch’s language. He felt the power of the spell, as the room was soon invaded with violent winds; moving all the objects from the room. Hyujin shrieked in pain, causing his head to jerk viciously, and his back to bend like rubber. Suddenly, Hyujin’s body lifted up from the bed, floating above it, and the malevolent spirit screamed. The scream was so powerful, it completely threw both Jaehyun and Taeyong to the wall. Taeyong fell to the floor, hitting his head on the wood. He winced in pain and used all his energy to try and stand up. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Hyujin still floating, laughing menacingly as he got closer to Taeyong.

“ _This_ is what the coven has to offer?” Hyujin hissed, smiling teasingly, “it’s so sad that it’s going to lose two members today.”

Taeyong felt blood from his lips, and his heart skipped several beats. For the first time, he was terrified about his fate. In seconds, he could die by a possessed boy. He wasn’t ready to die; he hated to admit that.

Taeyong closed his eyes, accepting that his fate might be sealed. Suddenly, the door bursts open and Doyoung runs inside. He sees Jaehyun unconscious on the floor, Taeyong crawling with blood on his face, and his brother Hyujin floating in the center of the room. Doyoung’s eyes suddenly turned pitch black, as if by instinct.

“ _Nietrus vikidaun menu seta ka,_ ” Doyoung chanted, catching the attention of his possessed brother, “ _meertas venus nik sta_ ”

Taeyong watched in awe as Doyoung began casting a spell in the ancient language. Hyujin fell down and started contorting, screaming loudly as he heard the chants.

“ _Meertas venus nik sta!_ Get the fuck away from my brother! I condemn you back from where you came from!” Doyoung shouted, and then screamed as loud as he could, causing all the objects from the room to float in the air. Hyujin growled and started convulsing violently. Taeyong felt like the growling went on forever, and coupled with Doyoung’s screams, he felt as if he has entered hell. Then, in a blink of an eye, everything went quiet. All the floating objects fell down at once, causing some to break from the impact. Taeyong heard Hyujin cough, and saw the boy stand up.

“What happened?” Hyujin asked innocently, tears started forming around his eyes. Doyoung ran towards him and hugged him tightly. He kissed his brother’s forehead and continued to hold him tight.

“It’s okay, Hyujin. Everything is going to be okay,” Doyoung said, comforting his brother who was sobbing uncontrollably. Jaehyun groaned as he gained consciousness and struggled to get up. Taeyong copied him and tried his best to stand up in the most painless way possible. Jaehyun saw Taeyong bleeding from his face and ran towards him.

“Taeyong, oh no! Are you alright?” Jaehyun asked desperately, “we need to heal you right away.”

“It’s okay, Jaehyun. Right now, I need to speak to Doyoung.”

Doyoung looked at him when he heard his name. He whispered Hyujin to go find their mother, who was worried sick about her two sons. Hyujin nodded, his body still shaking from the trauma event.

“You should probably go with him,” Taeyong whispered to Jaehyun.

Jaehyun wanted to say no, since all he wanted was to stay with Taeyong and heal him. Though, as he saw Taeyong’s eyes pleading him to go comfort Lia and Hyujin, he sighed and nodded his head. He went towards Hyujin and with one arm, he hugged Hyujin’s shoulders, comforting the boy as they went to look for Lia.

Doyoung and Taeyong were left alone in the mess of Hyujin’s room. Clothes were spread everywhere, the bed was in pieces, and the drawer was broken in half.

“You didn’t tell me you were a witch,” Taeyong said.

“I’m not,” Doyoung retorted, “I didn’t even know your kind existed.”

“You spoke an ancient language that only those that practice magic can know. If you never trained with us, it’s because it came to you by instinct. It’s in your _blood_ ,” Taeyong explained, taking a step closer towards Doyoung.

“In my blood? I think you’re mistaken—“

“Then how do you explain the fact that you casted a powerful exile spell and banished a _demon_.”

Doyoung’s eyes widened, as if he just realized the extent of what he just did. He couldn’t believe he casted out a demon, while speaking a language he knew nothing about.

“I don’t know. It came… naturally to me,” Doyoung said, looking at the floor still in shock.

“That makes you one of us,” Taeyong declared, making Doyoung look back at him with wide eyes.

“I’m a… witch?” Doyoung asked.

“A witch, a sorcerer, however you want to call it.”

“What does that mean for me?” Doyoung questioned.

“It means you can join the coven.”

 

 

Doyoung grabbed the heavy luggages from the trunk of the car. He stayed glaring at the humongous house, that resided in the middle of the woods. It was as dark as night and had a gothic tone to it. It was exactly how Doyoung imagined a house of witches would look like. With the fancy pillars and the dark undertones on the porch.

Doyoung began walking towards the house. He looked down at the floor and took a deep breath. He then proceeded to walk the first of three steps it takes to get to the front door. As he approached the front door, it opened automatically, as if it has been expecting him. He entered cautiously, and only saw one man waiting eagerly for him.

“Doyoung, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I heard a lot about you. My name is Taeil, and welcome to the Korean Coven.”


	2. Hell Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the second chapter! Sorry for any grammatical mistakes.

Coven History #2

  * In the 1900’s, a sorcerer named Min-jae had no choice but to use his powers to save his lover from dying in a disaster.
  * Civilians saw his magic, and even though he helped save them, they distrusted him.
  * Due to this, the human civilization became afraid of witches, and many groups were created for the sole purpose of getting rid of these witches.
  * Hundreds were falsely accused of witchcraft, half of which were _actual_ witches killed throughout the Great Hunting.



 

_January 2019_

The noisy restaurant was full on drunk loud people, and the laughter erupted from all corners as everyone celebrated the soccer game win. Jaehyun walked inside the restaurant, and went to sit down at the bar section. Upon seeing him, the bartender walked towards him. The man was tall, with soft-brown hair that almost covered his eyes. He was wearing a striped black and white suit, with long dark pants.

“And what would the gentleman like to drink today?” the bartender asked, cleaning a beer cup.

“I’m in the mood for a Manhattan, please,” Jaehyun expressed politely, fixing the small part of his hair that fell to his eyes. Jaehyun’s hair was the color of autumn leaves, and the flowy texture complemented his sharp facial features. He was wearing a pitch-black leather jacket, with the same colored jeans to combine with it. His silk snow-colored shirt was tucked in neatly, a he had his sunglasses on top of his head.

“One Manhattan for the gentleman,” the bartender said, placing the drink in front of Jaehyun. The sorcerer thanked the bartender, and took a sip of the alcoholic beverage. He tasted the bourbon whiskey blending with the bitterness of Angostura, and enjoyed the special twist of cherries the bartender mixed.

“So, did you like it?” the worker asked, leaning his arms on the bar table. Jaehyun drank the last sips, and placed the cup on the table. He chuckled, and smiled as he looked at the bartender.

“It has a rather… _sensual_ taste to it, and it warms my throat. I must say, you did an excellent job,” Jaehyun remarked, making the bartender smile at the compliment. Jaehyun looked closely at his nametag, “but I rather discuss something more important than liquor, Jack. If that even is your name.”

The bartender’s smile quickly faded after hearing Jaehyun’s words. He gulped loudly, and in his eyes was a dead serious tone to it, as if Jaehyun hit a sensitive subject. Jack leaned closer to Jaehyun, only inches away from each other.

“Are you a sorcerer?” Jack whispered, his voice slightly shaken. Jaehyun sighed, and stirred his cup that was already empty.

“I would tell you who I am, if you first tell me who _you_ are,” Jaehyun grinned, “is your name really Jack?

Jack looked at Jaehyun with shifty eyes, almost as if he didn’t trust the man in front of him. Either Jaehyun is here is to help him, or to get rid of him. Jaehyun sighed, and softened his gaze to the bartender.

“I am only here to help you,” Jaehyun reassured him. Jack took a huge breath of relief, and looked at Jaehyun with grave focus.

“My name is Yujin, from the Bark clan,” Jack confessed, “you know, from the Nymph clans right?”

“I know you have Nymph blood,” Jaehyun acknowledged, “I also heard you sent us a tip about some strange occurrences.”

“Yes! I told my clan to send the witches a message,” Yujin said, “I believe there is someone of your _kind_ working here.”

“And why do you think that?”

“Because people he serves would always end up in some sort of pain. Not everyone, just the ones that are mean to him.”

“End up in pain?” Jaehyun asked, wrinkling his forehead in confusion.

“I don’t know how to explain it; you have to see it for yourself.”

“And where is the man you claim is a witch?”

Yujin pointed at the door that lead to the kitchen.

“He’s on cleaning duty right now, you will find him there. Don’t tell anyone I told you this, in case you get in trouble. I need this job,” Yujin said, “Good luck, I wish I could tell you more, but I need to get back to work.”

Jaehyun thanked him, and waved goodbye at Yujin before getting up from his seat. He walked to the door that read “Employees Only” and already felt a dense presence surrounding the kitchen area. Before he was able to open the door, an employee stood in front of him, blocking the entrance.

“I’m sorry, sir,” the employee said, “you can’t enter here. Are you looking for the restroom?”

Jaehyun flashed a smile at the employee, and placed his hands on the wall, pressing his weight on it. He looked at the employee, and his eyes gave a smoky glare, as he enchanted the person in front of him.

_You will let me in. You will open the door. You will let me in. You will tell me there is no issues. You will let me in…_

Jaehyun kept repeating his hypnosis, and in an instant, the employee’s eyes turned coal-black. He moved away from the door, and gestured him to enter.

“There is no issues, you may enter,” the employee said in a robotic tone, as he opens the door to the kitchen. Jaehyun nodded in approval, and bowed at the employee as he entered inside.

The second he entered the kitchen, he heard distant shouting erupt from the other side of the kitchen. He saw a young man arguing with an older one who was not wearing the usual clothing like every employee. Jaehyun assumed the older man was the manager, given the authoritative look on his face as he yelled at the young employee.

 _“You can’t just do whatever you feel like! You had to listen to my orders!”_ the old man yelled from a distance.

 _“You overwork your employees! You expect me to work more than what you pay me for?”_ the young one yelled back. Jaehyun shrugged as he heard the argument getting heated, but he wasn’t here to listen to a manager fight with an employee; Jaehyun was looking for a supposed witch.

Jaehyun walked deeper into the kitchen, but he heard the argument getting closer to where he, and it annoyed how it distracted him from his mission.

“You listen to me right now!” the manager shouted, as he followed the employee, who was inches close to Jaehyun.

“I’ve had it with you! You’re fired!” the manager exclaimed, earning a shock expression from the young man. Jaehyun stood there, trying not to stand out from the rest of the employees cooking.

“Oh, yeah? You’re going to fire me?” the young man uttered, and then walked up to one of the deep fryers station. Jaehyun was confused at what the young man wanted to do. Did he wanted to throw fries at the manager?

To Jaehyun’s and all the employee’s shock, the man dipped his hands inside the boiling hot fryer. Jaehyun’s eyes widened at the scene, and the heard a high pitch scream erupt from the manager. Jaehyun witnessed how the manager’s arms started turning abnormally red, and his skin started peeling off in un-patterned patches, burning off in excruciating pain. The young man seemed unfazed, and everyone in the kitchen screamed as the event unfolded, but none moved. They were in such state of shock, that their bodies froze in place.

 _This must be the witch,_ Jaehyun thought. He opened his hands, and closed his eyes, focusing on casting his magic. The lights started flickering chaotically, and the sound of the plates shaking invaded the kitchen. Everyone was looking around, confused and fearful of what was occurring in the small kitchen. The young man also looked puzzled, and looked around the room, until he finally fixed his gaze to Jaehyun. He widened his eyes as he saw the Jaehyun’s fiery eyes staring back at him, and pulled his hands away from the deep fryer.

The manager stopped screaming, and was shocked as he saw his arm turn back to normality as if nothing happened. He looked back at the young man with a horrifying expression; his lips quivering with fear after experiencing the worst pain in his life. One of the cookers was shaking so terribly, and the fright made her jolt and run for the door. Before she managed to leave the kitchen, she froze on her spot. The young man looked at the motionless woman, but it was a strange occurrence for him. She was in the middle of running and just froze in place. He glanced at the rest of the room and gasped when he saw that everything and everyone was frozen. It was as if time has stopped completely. The only one that was still moving like him was the stranger in front of him.

“I know you’re confused, you have every right to be,” Jaehyun said, “but you have to come with me. We can’t let you stay here. You’ve done much damage already.”

“W-what’s going to happen to them?” the young employee asked, concerned over his coworker, “I didn’t mean to do that. I was just…I was just really mad.”

“Nothing will happen to them,” Jaehyun assured, “it will be as if nothing ever happened. But you must come with me if you want me to help you.”

Jaehyun for the first time focused on the young man’s face. It was smooth, like baby’s skin, and his eyes gave off this fiery ambition unlike anything Jaehyun has seen. His almond eyes looked at Jaehyun, trying to establish independence, but also this subtle cry for help. His skin was slightly tan, and his neck was stiff from the nervous state he was in. Jaehyun took his gaze away from the boy and into the roof, where he saw sprinklers.

“You see those sprinklers?” Jaehyun said, pointing at them, “when I chant my spell, they will go off, and anyone who touched by the water would forget everything that occurred here. The only ones that we will remember is you and me. Do you understand?”

The young man made one last look at the kitchen, and realized he couldn’t come back here again. He realized that second how dangerous he truly was and how it affected innocent people. He looked back at Jaehyun, and with great determination, he nodded.

 

 

“Why are we going on car? Isn’t there a way you can transport more efficiently?” the adolescent asked, frowning as he stared at the Chevy Impala.

“A wise man once told that a good old-fashioned driving might be safer than using magic,” Jaehyun answered, “anyways, you never told me your name.”

“You never told me yours,” the young man said, “my name is Haechan.”

“Nice to meet you, Haechan, my name is Jaehyun.”

“Such a pretentious name, if I do say so myself,” Haechan commented, opening the car door and sitting in the passenger. Jaehyun sat down and turned on the engine, chuckling at Haechan’s words.

“You don’t sound like a local, Haechan,” Jaehyun pointed out, “where are you from?”

“My family is from Jeju, but I figured the _island_ life wasn’t for me,” Haechan said, looking down at his hands.

“Well, you have to do what you have to do. We actually have another Jeju native, but he resides in the Busan coven house,” Jaehyun replied, focusing on the road, “his name is Seungkwan; very lovely guy.”

“Coven, are you making me join a cult?” Haechan asked, bemused by the term.

“If you think a cult is a group of highly trained individuals that practice witchcraft,” Jaehyun began, “then yes, you’re joining a cult.”

“So, you can teach me how to talk to dead people?”

“Necromancy could be part of your training,” Jaehyun acknowledged, “but we mostly teach you how to defend yourself.”

“From who? Humans? As you saw in the restaurant, I am pretty good at that,” Haechan said, staring at the endless foggy road.

“Humans are the least of our concerns. We defend you from witch hunters.”

“W-witch hunters?”

The atmosphere grew dense and quiet, and Jaehyun’s face sharpened as he looked at the road.

“Witch hunters are an elite group, who’s sole purpose is to get rid of witches,” Jaehyun informed, “no matter what it takes.”

Haechan never knew how serious the purpose of training was, and huge part inside of him was frightened by the idea of a whole group of people hunting his kind. _His_ kind, such a weird phrase for Haechan, who spent his entire adolescence thinking he was a freak for having special abilities. He always wanted to embrace his powers, but he knew no one was going to accept him. He left Jeju; he left behind his whole family, because he was fearful of rejection. Now he’s in a car, being lectured by someone else with magical abilities about witch hunters.

“You don’t have to be afraid,” Jaehyun comforted, sensing Haechan’s inner fear, “the coven sticks together, and we don’t let anyone get hurt. Trust me.”

Haechan nodded, but deep down he felt sick, because it was too much to take in. He was entering a new life; a new journey that could mean danger to him. His negative thoughts temporarily faded when he saw Jaehyun parking in front of the woods.

“We’re here,” Jaehyun announced, unbuckling his seatbelt.

“It’s just a bunch of trees,” Haechan said, looking puzzled as he got out of the car.

“That’s what you think you see. Reality is a totally different concept once you embrace the magic energy,” Jaehyun explained. “I want you to close your eyes and say the word _lusense_.”

Haechan took a deep breath, and closed his eyes as Jaehyun told him to. He whispered the words, and felt a small gush of wind attack him for a split second. He opened his eyes, and stared in shock as he saw a new trail of road leading to the forest. The road was indicated by neon lit flowers surrounding the trail.

“Where does it lead to?” Haechan asked.

“It leads to our coven, obviously,” Jaehyun said enthusiastically, walking towards the road. Haechan quickly followed him, and looked at the humongous trees in awe. Nature seemed different, with more _live_ to them, and a magical appearance that Haechan only imagined in books.

“So, no one can see this road unless you say that word?”

“It’s not the word, it was whether you believed it was there or not. You clearly did, and you showed it through using your magic energy,” Jaehyun answered.

“What’s with this magic energy you keep talking about?”

“Sorcerers, witches, or however you want to call us, possess a different anatomy than normal humans. It’s a long history, but my ancestor and your ancestor learned about magic energy together, since we all come from the first Korean sorcerers. It’s in our genes, and that’s why we have the possibility of practicing magic. This road was meant for us and supernatural creatures, but if you don’t believe in your magic, it would never present itself.”

“Trust me, I believe in my magic,” Haechan said, “you mentioned supernatural creatures. What kind of creatures?”

“All those fairy tales you read that had these weird creatures, yeah they’re real,” Jaehyun admitted, earning a surprised look from the young Jeju native, “except vampires, those are completely fictional.”

“Well that’s a bummer,” Haechan said sarcastically, “I may have had my own vampire love story.”

They continued walking along the path, with Haechan admiring the vast nature around them. The trees were five times taller than the normal ones he saw, the flowers have a bright splashing hue of colors. Haechan gasped when he saw a little creature with wings, but had tiny human hands. They were picking petals from the gold roses that resided beside the road. Jaehyun pointed out that they were little fairies; one of two kinds. Haechan looked at them and smiled when he saw them staring at him. The fairies hushed away into hiding, fearful at the witch. Haechan chuckled and kept strolling, until he saw a huge house in front of him. Jaehyun opened the front gates using a spell, and gestured Haechan to follow him. The house was pure cotton white, with huge pillars beside the front double doors. It was three stories high, and each floor had a decorated balcony to look outside. The front garden was filled with black and white roses, and ancient statues. He counted them and realized there were thirteen of them.

“Were these thirteen our ancestors?” Haechan asked.

“Yup! You’ll learn all about them once you’re settled in,” Jaehyun replied, knocking on the front door.

Haechan nodded and waited for someone to open the door. He felt a bit nervous, but most of all, he felt this child-like curiosity to the place. Someone finally answered the door, and smiled when they saw Jaehyun. The man was slightly taller than Haechan, and had fuzzy soft mocha hair. He looked older than Haechan, but still had this childlike essence in his face, with big eyes that gleamed in the sun.

“Jaehyun, I’m so glad you’re back,” the man said, welcoming Jaehyun and Haechan into the house. Haechan looked at the spacious house, with a huge stairwell right at the center. It was decorated with Victorian style furniture, and the walls were filled with portraits of people, whom Haechan assumed were most likely dead.

“Mark, I want you to meet Haechan,” Jaehyun said, pointing at Haechan, “and Haechan, please meet Mark.”

The two young boys shook hands, and Haechan was quick to point out how soft Mark’s hands were, which was something he liked for some odd reason.

“Mark would be teaching you about our daily routine and anything essential to know,” Jaehyun announced, looking at some luggage on the floor, “I have to go speak to Taeil, I’ll see you around.”

Jaehyun waved at Haechan, before departing to the second floor. Haechan was left standing in the center of the house with the new witch he just met.

“Come with me; I’ll show you the kitchen,” Mark said, walking towards the left side of the house. Haechan followed him as they entered the massive kitchen, with a granite island table at the center.

“This is our kitchen, where we have Plonk cook for us,” Mark explained, “he’s a goblin, so if you see someone with green skin and pointy ears don’t freak out.”

Haechan chuckled, and continued to follow Mark as he headed to the next room. It had a decorated gigantic chandelier, and was placed above the long dining table.

“Here is where all of us eat,” Mark said, “with the Supreme sitting on the chair in the front, seeing all of us.”

“Supreme?” Haechan asked, curious at the authoritative title.

“Jaehyun didn’t tell you?” Mark replied, and Haechan shook his head.

“The Supreme is our most powerful witch, and leader of the Coven,” Mark explained, “he has an oath to lead, recruit, and protect us and the supernatural creatures.”

“Is he like a wise old man with a long beard?” Haechan questioned, making Mark laugh. Haechan thought his laugh was contagious, and laughed as well.

“Nope, he’s pretty young like us. Most sorcerers retire at old age, so you won’t see any old Supreme any time soon,” Mark said, entering the next room, which looked like a lounge given the numerous couches in the center. Mark sat down on one of them, and patted the fabric beside him, telling Haechan to sit next to him.

“Who is the Supreme?” Haechan asked, sitting next to Mark.

“His name is Taeyong, and he’s the kindest most admirable witch I’ve ever seen,” Mark said, “he took me in with open arms when my grandpa thought it was time to initiate my training. You’ll probably meet him soon, he loves to welcome new sorcerers with a fancy dinner.”

“Well I’m hungry, I’ll tell you that,” Haechan commented, making Mark giggle, which was the cutest sound Haechan has ever heard.

 

 

“How is the newcomer?” Taeyong asked, scribbling something on his notebook as he sat on the desk. Jaehyun smiled as he entered the room, walking towards the desk and sitting on a chair opposite to Taeyong.

“He is rather fierce,” Jaehyun said, “but I think we need someone like him in our coven.”

Taeyong nodded and smiled slightly, finishing up his notes and closing the notebook. He stared at Jaehyun, and his eyes soften, glad that Jaehyun was back from his trip unharmed.

“What were you writing?” Jaehyun said, playing with a stress ball that Taeyong had on his desk.

“Jeno and I have been working together on some potions,” Taeyong explained, “I was finishing up some recipes to give it to him.”

“You’ve been bonding with the new recruits, that’s very kind of you,” Jaehyun expressed.

“I’m trying to know them better, and I want them to trust their Supreme,” Taeyong confessed, “As much as I admired him, I don’t want to end up like Suho.”

Jaehyun looked down at the table, nodding in agreement. He knew it was still a sensitive subject for Taeyong, and he didn’t want to open that can of worms again.

“Did you just arrive?” Taeyong asked, making the papers on his desk float around, organizing them one by one.

“Not really, I went to talk with Taeil for a bit,” Jaehyun said, “I didn’t know he came back from Busan with Doyoung until I saw his belongings in the first floor.”

“Yeah, Doyoung told me that the situation in Busan was resolved quickly,” Taeyong began, “who would have known the dwarves could be so _compliant_ when it involves gold? What did Taeil say to you?”

“He was surprised to see new recruits,” Jaehyun said, “after all, it was only the four of us for so long.”

“More of us can really strengthen this coven,” Taeyong believed, “I am happy we are training more witches to protect the innocent.”

As soon as Taeyong finished his words, they heard the front door bell ring. Taeyong stood up from his chair, startled, and Jaehyun stood up with him.

“Were you expecting someone?” Jaehyun asked. Taeyong shook his head, and ran outside his office. Jaehyun caught up to him, and both grew concerned over who rang the door-bell. Taeyong’s hands tensed, and he was ready to use magic if it was necessary.

Jaehyun and Taeyong saw Mark and Haechan heading cautiously towards the door.

“Mark be careful!” Jaehyun warned, ready to protect Mark if anything happens by standing behind him.

“Why do we have to be careful?” Haechan questioned, worried about the tense situation.

“Only witches can see our house,” Mark whispered to him, “though sometimes witch hunters can break to protection spell. It’s rare, but it could happen.”

Haechan gulped loudly, and he noticed his hands trembling. He felt someone standing close to him, and he looked beside him.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone hurt you,” Taeyong whispered to Haechan, “I am Taeyong, by the way.”

Haechan was startled that he was standing next to the Supreme, but the unknown entity on the other side of the front door kept him quiet. Mark opened the door carefully, using an _open sesame_ spell. The door creaked slightly as it was opening, and revealed a man standing outside; it was clear none of the four knew who he was. The man smiles and waves at them, seeming innocent from danger.

“Hello, my name is Johnny,” the stranger said, “I was walking through this strange path and it led me here. I am a bit lost, and there seems to be no way out.”

“So, your choice was to knock on some stranger’s house in the middle of the woods?” Haechan remarked sarcastically, “do you not see horror movies?”

“I don’t know why I decide to knock, honestly. I feel like it was such a familiar place,” Johnny reasoned, “like if I was safe here.”

Taeyong and Jaehyun looked at each other, as if they were reading each other’s minds. They knew that Johnny had to be like _them_ , and that’s why he was able to just walk and knock on their door. That’s why Johnny felt like he was safe around them; because he was with his own kind. Taeyong looked back at Johnny and smiled warmly.

“Johnny, I think the universe brought you here to us for a purpose,” Taeyong said, “come in and let’s see if you are really one of us.”

“One of you?” Johnny asked, slightly concerned over the choice of words.

“Way to go, Supreme,” Haechan began, “now he thinks we are making him join a cult, which is actually not that far off.”

Mark lightly smacked Haechan’s shoulder, earning an exaggerated ‘ouch’ from the Jeju man. Johnny thought about it for a minute. He couldn’t believe he was debating whether to enter a stranger’s house. He wasn’t even sure why he followed the strange path to the house, but he never once felt fear for his life. It was as if a magnet was pulling him, and he felt warm and comfortable around them. He decided to follow his instincts, and went inside the house. Taeyong showed him to the common room, where he was asked to sit. He was sitting in front of a small table, and Taeyong placed a candle on it. Jaehyun, Mark, and Haechan were standing behind the couch.

“I want you to close your eyes and relax,” Taeyong ordered, “then I want you to say the word _invernus_.”

Johnny did as he was told and closed his eyes. He let his mind ponder into a black void of calmness and quiet.

“ _Invernus._ ”

Suddenly the candle in the table bursts into flames, consuming not just the candle, but the candle holder as well. They all stared at awe as the flames dissipated into the air, leaving no trace of the candle.

“Who did that?” Johnny asked in awe.

“You did,” Taeyong said. Johnny looked back at the table shocked at what he did. He couldn’t believe that with one word, he was able to manifest a powerful fire.

“This is not like anything I’ve seen,” Jaehyun confessed, “new recruits usually just lit up the candle. They don’t burn it until it leaves no trace.”

“He must be descendant of Eun-kwang,” Taeyong explained, “one of the thirteen original witches. He was a proclaimed pyrokinesis, and only his descendants can manifest _hell_ fire.”

“Hell fire? What are you saying?” Johnny asked, seeking desperately for answers.

“What he is saying is that you are indeed one of us,” a voice suddenly erupted; and it was Taeil entering the room.

“You have an extraordinary gift,” Taeil continued, “and we are glad you discovered our coven.”

“So, all of you are witches?” Johnny said, “and you’re making me join a coven?”

“It is entirely your choice,” Taeyong assured, “but we just wanted you to know that you will be welcomed here.”

Johnny looked around, gazing at the people in room, and then he focused on the portraits in the walls. He felt like he was surrounded by people that understood him, and he can’t phantom the reason why. He had just met them, but he felt already like if they were family, and that they were there to protect him. He felt like he finally belonged somewhere. Johnny looked back at Taeyong, and nodded eagerly.

“I want to join your coven,” he simply said. Everyone rejoiced and proceeded to hug him and introduce themselves. Mark and Haechan both volunteered to show him around the house, since Haechan’s tour was interrupted by his arrival. They left Jaehyun, Taeyong, and Taeil, who stayed behind in the common room.

“Two new witches in a day?” Jaehyun said, “the coven really is growing.”

“It’s giving us a reason to train harder; since we need to all look out for each other,” Taeyong quietly said.

“The universe knows what it’s doing by bringing them to us,” Taeil said, “it wants this coven strong for a reason.”

“You don’t think something bad is going to happen, right?” Jaehyun questioned, worryingly.

“One may never know.”

 

 

The prisoner felt pain in his hands as the goblins tied them tightly with a glowing rope. The rope was impenetrable, and not even magic can free him from the strong grasp. He was furious, and managed to spit at one of the goblins. He looked in front of him and saw three huge thrones, with three witches sitting on it.

“You are making a mistake. I am not the enemy. You don’t know me,” the prisoner said. The witch in the center throne stood up and walked slowly towards the prisoner. The witch leaned down to face him eye-to-eye.

“I know exactly who you are,” the witch remarked, “you go by Ten, and you are from the Thai covens. Now tell me why a member of the Thai coven barges into _my_ coven without permission?”

Ten looked down at the floor, and tried to forget why he fled, but he couldn’t. He still remembers the screams of his brother, and the guilt he feels for surviving the attack.

“I am desperate,” was all Ten said.

“Desperate for what?”

Ten looked back at the witch with furious eyes. His eyes were red from the tears that wanted to come out desperately, but he fought to contain. He just looked at the sorcerer, but he couldn’t gain the energy to speak.

“Alright, you have decided to stay quiet,” the witch observed, “you barged into my house without invitation. You are an enemy, and now you must face the consequences.”

“Kun, I think we should really listen to him,” one of the sorcerers in the throne suggested, “what if it’s something important?”

“Winwin, I gave him a chance to speak, and he refused,” Kun explained, “I can’t take any risky chances. Lucas, you know what to do with him.”

The tallest of the sorcerers stood from his seat and headed towards Ten. A dark aura surrounded the room, and Ten trembled in fear. He was certain that Lucas was going to kill him, and he immediately looked back at Kun.

“I’ll talk!” Ten yelled, catching Kun’s attention, “I’ll tell you everything.”

Kun looked at Winwin, who nodded his head to indicate that he wanted to listen to what Ten wanted to say.

“Tell us what?” Kun asked, signaling Lucas to stand in place. Ten looked down at the floor and began crying.

“I left my homeland because we were attacked,” Ten began as he sobbed. “My only choice was to leave, and head somewhere. The only place I could think of was here. My Supreme said I could trust you, and that you were a powerful Chinese Supreme. I have nowhere to go.”

“You were attacked?” Kun said in shock, “attacked by whom?”

“I couldn’t see the leader. But demons were attacking us; the ones straight from _hell._ ”

Kun looked at Lucas, and they both stared at each other stunned at Ten’s words. Ten continued tearing up, and looked at Kun with pleading eyes.

“Please spare me. Someone is trying to kill us all. They’re here to kill all living things, and they’re starting by getting rid of the witches.”


	3. Lienim

Coven History #3

  * Like witches, other supernatural entities exist which are unknown to humans.
  * These creatures include (but not limited to) goblins, dwarves, elves, nymphs, shapeshifters, fairies, sirens, and centaurs.
  * In each specific region, the creatures reside in one place, which is invisible to the naked eye.
  * Sorcerers keep them under control and protect the underworld creatures.
  * The underworld creatures in South Korea reside in a vast place called Lienim.



 

_February 2019_

Sparkles of gold appeared out of thin air, forming a perfect circle. Out of the circle, Jeno and Jisung emerged and landed on the concrete pavement. They turned around, and waited patiently for the other two sorcerers to appear. Mark suddenly sprung out and fell onto the floor, while Haechan followed him laughing. Mark stood up and flapped his hands on his clothes, getting rid of the dirt that stained his shirt.

“Why did you push me?” Mark asked in shock. Haechan and Jeno were laughing hysterically, as Jisung helped Mark get back up.

“Well you were taking forever, and I thought you will never cross,” Haechan explained, “you need to stop being afraid of the teleportation portal. It’s not going to close midway and cut you in half, Mark.”

“You never know!” Mark retorted, flailing his arms in the air.

The four witches gathered together and began walking on the narrow road. It was surrounded by humongous trees that branched out in every direction. Haechan admired the vast nature, and wondered where they were heading. Mark woke him up early in the morning, only telling him that they were tasked to go to Lienim. Haechan has heard of Lienim, but only knew that their cook, Plonk, was raised there.

“Why are we heading to Lienim?” Haechan questioned, turning his head towards Mark. Jisung suddenly appeared beside him, smiling excitingly.

“Our Supreme received news that there was an intruder,” Jisung explained, “they said a human entered the town.”

“What’s so wrong with humans entering?” Haechan said, waiting for Jisung’s response. From his peripheral vision, he saw Jeno trip slightly due to a small rock. Haechan thought he had never seen someone clumsier than Jeno.

“Mark didn’t tell you?” Jisung murmured, “I thought he told you _everything_.”

“You keep thinking we are very close, but we’re not,” Mark admitted, not noticing the prevalent frown on Haechan’s face. Haechan hated to admit that Mark’s words stung a bit inside him.

Jisung glanced at them repeatedly, sensing the tension between them. He truly believed they were very close, since they were always together. _I guess not,_ Jisung thought.

“Well in Lienim,” Jisung began, breaking the silence, “there are invisible shields that keep the humans away. It is impossible for someone who isn’t a witch to enter, unless they know how to break the shield.”

“Has anyone ever broke the shield?” Haechan asked, and saw how Jisung’s face darken. Mark also noticed Jisung’s expression, and decided to interject.

“Only in three occasions,” Mark said, focusing on Jisung’s face, “two were actually invited by witches, the other one caused…a tragedy.”

Haechan eyes widened at the last statement, but refrained himself from asking further. He saw Mark’s desperate eyes, and the subtle movement of his head pointing at Jisung. Haechan knew that it was a sensitive topic for Jisung.

“We’re here!” Jeno shouted, distracting the three sorcerers. Haechan gazed in front of him, and all he saw was a huge tree. Haechan has never felt so small until now, looking up at the tree. The trunk spread for a few meters, and Haechan knew that if the four of them hugged the tree, they wouldn’t cover even half of the trunk. It was so tall, that Haechan had a rough time seeing the branches, since they were far away from the ground.

“Lovely isn’t it?” Jeno asked, admiring the tree, “it’s a _Giant Sequoia,_ which normally comes from the west. But our ancestors knew this was the perfect tree.”

“You really seem to be a geek for nature,” Haechan commented, “so Lienim is an old tree?”

“Wow, Mark really is the worst person to explain our world,” Jeno said, “the tree is the entrance.”

“What do you mean entrance?”

Before Haechan’s question could be answer, Mark walked passed him and spread his arms.

“ _Lienim tis capas, ma lo nim,”_ Mark chanted, his eyes turning pitch black. Haechan gasped when he heard rumbling from the ground, and felt a slight tremble. He stared in awe as the tree trunk split in half, and reveals a new path. Haechan was amazed as he saw the pathway, as if he is entering another dimension.

“So…the secret shield is a tree?” Haechan asked.

“Pfft, no. We passed that minutes ago. You didn’t feel anything because you are a witch,” Jeno explained, “this is just the main door to Lienim.”

After Jeno finished explaining, he swiftly entered inside the tree, and Jisung and Mark followed him. Haechan was behind Jisung as he entered the tree. He didn’t feel like he was inside a tree, he just felt like he was in another part of the forest. Haechan wondered whether the tree really was magical and created a whole new world inside it, or if it was just a teleportation device to another place. Whichever it may be, Haechan was glad that the path led right into a huge town, which he correctly suspect it’s Lienim.

From the entrance, Haechan saw various brick stone houses built together, though all of them had a vibrant distinct color. Haechan’s eyes widened as he saw one of the houses started moving its brick, and rearranging them in a different shape, creating a new architecture. Haechan has never seen something so marvelous, since all he’s done the past month was learn about the spells he deems “boring”. Haechan gazed at the variety of races walking pass him as he went deeper into the town; from elves to dwarves. In the corner of one fruit stand, he saw someone that looked human, like him. The only difference was that the man was pretty tall and seemed to have a lot of arm hair; like a lot of arm hair. _I guess lumberjack men live in Lienim,_ Haechan thought. He saw Jisung lean towards him, as if Jisung saw his curiosity over the peculiar human.

“That man is actually a shape-shifter,” Jisung whispered, “he has that much hair because he turns into a werewolf.”

“Do they turn only in the full moon?” Haechan asked, stunned.

“Some can only turn in the full moon. Other can do it whenever they want,” Jisung began explaining, “it really depends on the genes. There’s a lot of shape-shifters in this world. The Thai coven are well known to have coven members that turn into snakes.”

“Have you ever met a Thai sorcerer?” Haechan questioned, intrigued by the lore of the shape-shifters.

“Not really,” Jisung admitted, with slight disappointment in his voice, “they are usually allies with the Chinese coven. You know we don’t get along with them.”

Haechan stopped asking questions once he heard Jisung’s respond, and decided to keep walking quietly. He glanced towards three tall graceful creatures with pointy ears. He knew immediately they were a noble race of elves. Filled with a deep magical aura, capable of mesmerizing any human. They were pure of heart and very wise, always giving The Council helpful advice when there was a dire situation.

“Are we almost there?” Jisung asked, panting as they continued walking towards an alleyway. The buildings started to diminish in size, and Haechan noticed many shops that purely sold weapons or jewelry. They stopped in front of a small brick-filled house, with the door reaching up to Haechan’s chest.

“We’re here,” Mark said, knocking on the wooden door. The four waited for the door open, and they heard chaotic noises inside the house, with metals clanking as they were dropped on the floor. The door swung open, revealing a dwarf, staring at them with pure annoyance.

“You’re late,” the dwarf muttered, looking at Mark with condescending eyes.

“But we are here now,” Mark said, staring back at the dwarf with the same annoyance, “that’s all that matters now.”

“Took you long enough,” another dwarf said as he approached the door, “we have the human in the basement.”

“Show us,” Mark ordered, and the two dwarves gestured them to enter the small house. They had to crouch inside the house, and Jisung walked carefully, trying not to hit the ceiling or break any lights. They followed the dwarves into the basement, where the corners were pitch dark, with only one dim light in the center. At the center, they saw a human with his face covered by a bag, and his hands tied by a rope. Another dwarf was standing beside him, looking puzzled as he saw the sorcerers approach them. He looked back at the two dwarves, clearly annoyed by the presence of the sorcerers.

“Who are they?” the dwarf asked to the other two of his kind, his voice erupting across the room.

“They were the only ones that came, sir,” one of them explained, cowering as he saw the dwarf’s angry posture.

“We came here because you told us about this human entering the city,” Mark interjected, hoping the dwarf doesn’t lash out at the other two.

“I _demanded_ to see the Supreme,” the dwarf said, “not a bunch of rookies.”

“The Supreme has other important errands to attend,” Mark explained, “he left us the task to go deal with this situation.”

“So, you’re saying the Supreme doesn’t deem this important?” the dwarf muttered, his eyes darkening, “we are here doing _his_ job, which is to keep our world a secret from the human. Yet, he doesn’t even come to thank us?”

Mark walked towards the dwarf, and lowered his head so that he can be at the same level as the dwarf. They both stared at each other, emotionless and still as the silence invaded the room. Haechan looked at Jisung, who looked at him back with the same face of confusion.

“The Supreme suspected you will feel this way, _Kanmul_ ,” Mark said, indicating the dwarf by his name, “which is why he told me to give you this.”

Mark took out a small bag from his pocket, and placed it at the hands of Kanmul. The dwarf looked at him for a second; not fully trusting the witch. Kanmul finally decided to open the bag, as Haechan looked closely, curious to see what was inside. The second the dwarf open the bag, a shining light glowed from it, bewitching the dwarf and his two comrades. Kanmul just looked back at Mark, and nodded, as if he heard Mark’s command. He told the two dwarves to follow him outside, leaving the four sorcerers with the human alone in the basement.

“Let me guess, you gave them gold,” Jeno said, picking up a dusty artifact from one of the tables in the basement.

“Gold is the only way to get them to shut up,” Mark admitted, rolling his eyes. They started hearing muffling noises from the captured human, who was desperate to be let free. Mark approached the human, and in one swift motion, he removed the bag from his face.

The human had pale skin, mostly due to cold temperature in the room. He had warm deep brown eyes, and his mocha hair was slightly still from the constant sweating. He was breathing heavily, and his eyes were squinting as they tried to adapt to the dim light. Mark felt as slight familiarity as he saw the man, and immediately realized the situation.

“Are you guys going to get me out of this hellhole?” the man asked, looking at them with pleading eyes.

“You’re a witch,” Mark suddenly said, catching everyone’s attention. Jeno looked carefully at the man, scanning his whole face.

“Are you sure?” Jisung asked, looking at Mark with a surprised gaze.

“I know a witch when I see one, and he is one of us,” Mark confessed, “what is your name?”

“My name is Jaemin,” the man uttered, confusion clouding his eyes.

“Well, Jaemin,” Mark announced, “we are taking you with us.”

 

 

“I always thought I was different,” Jaemin said, as he walked beside Jeno, “but I didn’t know I was a witch.”

“Well, I hope you like magic,” Jeno commented, making Jaemin smile at him.

“Who doesn’t love it?” Jaemin exclaimed enthusiastically, hitting Jeno’s shoulders playfully. Jeno stared at him in awe, seeing the fiery intensity of the boy. Jeno joined the coven about a year ago, but throughout his time, he never really made a strong connection with the coven members. He was really close to the Supreme, who helped him developed potions to grow magical plants in the garden. No one else in the coven had the same passion for plants as Jeno did, which was linked back to his lineage of botanist sorcerer ancestors. To finally see someone talk to him as if he were a long-time friend, and not the plant geek, was a fresh experience for Jeno.

“So, what’s your favorite spell?” Jaemin asked, as they crossed the tree that helped them enter the city. It was clear how excited Jaemin was, by his occasional feet skips, and Jeno was not sure whether it was because he was free from being hostage to those dwarves or he was going to dwell into a new life as a witch.

“For some who just found out they were a witch, you are pretty excited,” Jeno chuckled, “my favorite spell is _Natura Liknis._ ”

“I mean, I grew up reading books on wizards that went on great epic adventures. Knowing I am one is shocking, but super exciting,” Jaemin admitted, “what does _Natura Liknis_ do?”

Jeno took a long breath, and looked at Jaemin with great focus. He was surprised to see Jaemin staring back, genuinely interested in what he was going to say.

“Well, the spell is a sort of call to speak to the plants around you,” Jeno began explaining, “you can’t just say _‘hey what’s up’_ and expect them to listen. They need to listen to that phrase first, and then they start to actually pay _attention_ to you. I have done the spell a dozen times in the garden, and all of them are super cooperative. Obviously, plants don’t speak, but they do move and do what you tell them to do. That doesn’t mean you can use them for whatever you want, since they still make their own choices; you have to build a strong _connection_ with them. Trees are the most stubborn of them all, but they are very wise…”

Jaemin nodded as he heard Jeno talking more about plants in general than the actual spell. He saw how Jeno’s hands went up and down as he explained the experiences he had with the plants in the garden. Jeno didn’t even notice a piece of his dark hair fall onto his forehead as he rambled about the stubbornness of trees, and how to convince them to listen to you. Jaemin stared deeply into Jeno’s eyes, that was clouded with fervor and knowledge on the subject. Jeno looked back at him, and his face immediately shifted into a serious and unbothered expression.

“Sorry, I get a little too excited about this sometimes,” Jeno said quietly, with a hint of embarrassment. Jeno pouted at him, confused at his words, and then looked at the road.

“You don’t have to apologize,” Jaemin declared, “I was really interested in what you were saying. When we arrive, maybe you can show me how the spell works!”

Jeno’s mouth opened slightly, but he quickly composed himself. He smiled tenderly at Jaemin, and he felt his heart skip a beat.

“Okay, everyone stand back,” Mark suddenly yelled, “we are finally heading home.”

“About time,” Jisung commented, “I am starving.”

Mark closed his eyes and took a deep breath before raising his right hand. He started moving his hand in circles, as Jaemin looked at him in confusion. His mouth dropped open when he saw golden sparks appear in front of Mark, forming a larger circle to fit all of them inside.

“Ready to enter your new life?” Jeno asked Jaemin, jokingly nudging his shoulders. Jaemin chuckled and nodded, walking behind Jeno as he entered the portal. The scenery changed in an instant, and Jaemin was in front of a huge white three-story house.

Mark opened the front door, and everyone entered the house. Jisung immediately left the group and ran into another part of the house, which Jaemin assumed was the kitchen. Haechan plopped down in one of the couches, and put his feet up in the little table in front of it. Jaemin stood close to Jeno, analyzing all the details of the house.

“The Supreme would probably want to meet you,” Mark said, as he started taking his coat off. Footsteps were suddenly heard from the stairs in the center of the house. Jaemin stared in awe as he saw a man with a long cloak walking down the stairs.

“I am afraid Taeyong can’t see you right now. He’s on an important mission right now. Oh, how rude of me! I have not introduced myself. My name is Taeil, and I am leader of the Council,” the man with the cloak stated, directing his eyes towards Jaemin.

“My name is Jae-“

“Jaemin! Ah yes! I know,” Taeil confessed, “Mark sent a message that he will be bringing you. I did some research, since I want to know more about my coven members. You’re a descendant of Kyuhyun. That is quite remarkable.”

“From Kyuhyun? I thought his lineage completely vanished,” Jeno commented, making Jaemin look back at him in shock. He then looked towards the floor, absorbing this new information.

“His lineage just stopped practicing magic,” Taeil replied, “but it still ran in their blood. Jaemin just happened to find the invisible city. Now Jaemin, are you here because you want to be one of us?”

Jaemin looked at Taeil as the latter posed the question, and he saw the seriousness in Taeil’s eyes. Unlike most members, he didn’t have to think about it too much. He knew how long he has been looking for that unpredictable adventure he has been longing for, and becoming a sorcerer probably checks that off his list.

“Yes, I want to join,” Jaemin simply said, and turned to smile at Jeno, his first witch friend. Jeno smiled at him, almost as if he was proud of Jaemin’s choice.

“I’m glad,” Taeil stated, smiling softly at Jaemin, “I believe you made the right choice. The others would be glad to welcome you.”

“Speaking of the others, what _important_ mission are they doing?” Mark asked, sitting beside Haechan.

“A mission involving a tragedy,” Taeil said darkly, “a tragedy that could have been caused by supernatural forces.”

 

 

“How many are dead?” Jaehyun asked, as he took out a little notepad from his coat pocket.

“Twenty, including the driver,” Doyoung stated, as he inspected the tragic scene. The air was still filled with smoke from the deadly crash, and Jaehyun could see the lifeless bodies laying on the ground. He noticed Taeyong inspecting the bodies a few feet away from him, trying to decipher what happened.

“You’re telling me a bus suddenly crashes near the woods with no signs of damage to it,” Doyoung commented, “something strange is going on.”

“Or maybe the bus driver went crazy,” Taeyong replied, “it seems like a normal crash to me.”

“Normal crash? Taeyong are you seeing this?” Doyoung said, pointing at the destruction, “a crazy bus driver doesn’t just hit the breaks and suddenly the bus explodes.”

Jaehyun quickly scribbled on the notepad, writing every detail of the scene. He described the scattered bus parts by the road side, and the unusual fog that covered the area. He wrote down the position of every lifeless body, hoping it might help in the investigation. Taeil trusted him to bring him all the details, and the Council will decide if the accident was the cause of a supernatural intervention. Jaehyun quoted every word Taeyong and Doyoung were saying to one another.

“How long do you think the reality spell will last?” Doyoung asked, eyeing Taeyong as he approached him.

“We have about twenty minutes,” Taeyong answered, “but I think we have all we need to come up with a consensus.”

“You think it was just an accident, don’t you?” Doyoung said. Taeyong sighed deeply, and turned around to address Doyoung.

“That is not up to me to decide,” Taeyong replied, placing his head a few inches close to Doyoung’s, “you and the other Council members have the final word.”

“As the Supreme of our coven, I want to know your opinion,” Doyoung bluntly stated, keeping his eyes fixed on the sorcerer. Jaehyun sensed the subtle tension between the two, and knew it was a smart idea to stay back. Taeyong and Doyoung were known for being stubborn and quite direct with each other, and while it may seem like a relationship of hatred, they respect and care for one another.  

Before Taeyong could respond, the trio heard a strange shuffling noise a few feet away from them. Doyoung immediately raised his hands in a defense stance, ready to use any necessary spells. Taeyong stretched his arms out, in an instinct to cover Doyoung and Jaehyun from any danger. Jaehyun looked with wide eyes as he saw one of the corpses slowly moving its arms. The body was twitching as it tried to adjust itself to the right positions. Doyoung gasped as he saw the burned flesh from the body healing itself and becoming soft and pale in seconds. He has never seen anything like it before, and the three witches were astonished to see a dead man healing himself. The figure looked in front of him, and with shaking hands he reached for the body he saw and placed his hands. In an instant, the other body breathes deeply, and started shifting their body.

Taeyong moved closer to the figure that first began moving, and noticed it was a young man with faint umber eyes. Next to the young man was a lady, who minutes ago was unrecognizable, now Taeyong saw her perfectly straight black hair and mocha eyes. The young man looked at him, still shaking as he hugged himself, and the lady caressed his back. Taeyong saw the confusion and fear in his eyes, and the urge to help this young man overcame him.

“He’s a healer,” Doyoung whispered to Jaehyun, and they both stared in awe as Taeyong helped the man stand up, along with the lady.

“What is your name?” Taeyong asked, his voice breathless from the astonishment.

“My name is Jungwoo.”


	4. Healer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I was pretty busy, and this chapter had a bit more events than the last chapter. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Important Note: Italics text in-between scenes refer to flashbacks.

Coven History #4  
\- In the early 1800’s, the sorcerers met all at once (52 sorcerers were present)  
\- They decided to form the Council of Sorcerers and form and allegiance with the Chinese Coven  
\- The Laws of Sorcery and Magic  
\- The Five Fundamental Laws  
o No sorcerer shall use magic for malicious intent  
o No civilians must be harm with the use of magic  
o No sorcerer shall kill another sorcerer (punishment: Dark Death)  
o A sorcerer shall not refuse to aid another sorcerer in life or death situations  
o A sorcerer’s power shall remain anonymous from society as it has been with the original 13 sorcerers  
\- Throughout time, the relationship with the Chinese coven grew sour, and by the end of the 1800’s – the Korean coven decided to add one more law:  
o No Korean witch shall be intimate with a Chinese witch

 

_February 28, 2019_

“I want everyone to pick up the dagger, not using your hands, and hit the target,” Taeyong ordered. He paces back and forth, as the coven members are lined up in front of a table outside the garden. Plonk, the coven’s main assistant, arrives and places a dagger for each of the training witches. After he finished placing the last dagger, he looked at Taeyong and bowed. Taeyong smiled and nodded, granting him permission to leave.

“Don’t you need to tell us the spell to pick up the dagger?” Haechan asked, as he grabbed the weapon, inspecting it carefully. Jisung copied him and picked up his weapon, intrigued by shininess of the metal, and how well he can see his reflection.

“What is a spell?” Taeyong questioned, gazing at his students, “isn’t it just a statement? Isn’t it just a sentence that explains what you want to do? Do you think an enemy would wait for you to memorize a spell for how to pick up a dagger? Spells were made to facilitate magic for us, but the magic comes from within the mind. We must really want it. The lesson of the week is for you to really want that dagger on that target. It could take you an hour or days, but you have to learn it.”

The backyard door opened, revealing Jaehyun and a sleepy Johnny. Taeyong turned around to look at them, and smiled when he saw Jaehyun staring back at him. He looked back at the members, hoping to hide the slight blush that formed on his cheeks.

“Okay, I want everyone to begin your lesson,” Taeyong stated, “just remember that it has everything to do with your desire, you already have the magic in your blood.”

Everyone listened to the Supreme, and focused on the object in front of them. Taeyong turned around, and watched Jaehyun as the latter approached him with Johnny by his side. Taeyong noticed Johnny’s ruffled hair, and dark bags under his eyes.

“You two are late,” Taeyong said, half-jokingly, and ogled at Jaehyun.

“Sorry, my Supreme,” Jaehyun expressed, playfully winking at him, “but I was helping Johnny wake up. He was having quite a troubling dream.”

Taeyong frowned, and fixed his attention towards Johnny. In the background, he could hear Mark yelling at Haechan for distracting him when he was lifting the dagger slightly.

“What did you dream about?” Taeyong asked, walking closer to Johnny. He placed a hand on Johnny’s arms, and comforted the witch.

“I just saw fire,” Johnny said, his voice mildly shaking, “It was fire that came straight from hell. It engulfed everything, until nothing was left but darkness. It felt so dark and evil. Suddenly I was standing in front of someone. I couldn’t recognize this person, and I couldn’t see their face, but somehow I knew they were looking at me. They turned into a snake, and then last thing I remembered, the snake lunged to attack me.”

Johnny finished his dream, but still looked shaken, making Taeyong rub his back comfortingly. Jaehyun sighed softly and looked at Taeyong.

“I told Seungcheol about it as soon as Johnny told me about it,” Jaehyun confessed, “I heard he had a member that could interpret dreams.”

“What did he tell you?” Taeyong questioned, surprised at the mention of his old-time friend.

“He told he’ll look into it and will ask the member,” Jaehyun said, “I think his name is Joshua.”

“I- I think it was just a nightmare,” Johnny blurted out, looking at the floor.

“We hope it was just a nightmare,” Taeyong stated, “we just want to make sure it wasn’t a prophetic dream.”

“A prophetic dream?” Johnny asked, confused. He focused on Jaehyun, and in the background, he saw Jaemin and Jeno helping each other out with the task of lifting the daggers.

“Witches have tendencies of having dreams that can predict the future,” Jaehyun explained, “most of the time it’s just bogus, because the future is very uncertain, but sometimes some dreams can be really set in stone. We just hope yours is not.”

“You think a fire can destroy everything? Or a snake could attack me?”

“Or it could be a metaphor,” Taeyong said, patting Johnny’s back, “but don’t worry too much about that. Like we said, it’s usually just normal nightmares. Don’t worry too much about it, okay? Go and join the others, there’s a dagger at the end of the table.”

Johnny nodded, and went to join the others. Mark smiled at him and greeted him, proceeding to explain the difficult task Taeyong assigned them. Jeno and Jaemin were watching as Jisung almost lifted the object high enough to match the target, but at the last second, the dagger fell hard onto the table. Jungwoo was encouraging Haechan to release his “inner” badass self, as Haechan likes to call it.

“Aren’t you proud of them?” Jaehyun asked, as he stood beside Taeyong, watching the new coven members bond together.

“Of course, I am,” Taeyong answered, “they all bring their own quirks. I think this coven really needed that.”

“We went from four members to eleven,” Jaehyun commented, “I say we make a pretty strong coven.”

Taeyong grinned, and nodded, analyzing the members of his coven. Even though many joined not too long ago, Taeyong felt like they were all close. He knew deep down he found talented and ambitious sorcerers willing to protect the innocent.

“Oh no!”

Taeyong’s train of thought was distracted when he heard Jisung yell. He immediately expected the worst, and stretched his arms out, as he inspected his surroundings. He saw everyone gathered around one place, and he walked with Jaehyun towards them. When Taeyong arrived, the members were glancing at the grass, where a dead bird was laying. Inches away from the bird, Taeyong noticed one of the daggers covered in blood.

“I didn’t mean to,” Jisung said, visibly saddened, “the bird came out of nowhere.”

“It was an accident,” comforted Jaehyun, as he gently patted Jisung on the back.

“Yeah, it’s okay,” Jaemin said, ruffling his hair, “we’ll make sure the bird gets a proper burial.”

Jungwoo stared at the bird intently, and felt the emptiness of life where there was once. He doesn’t know what inclines him to crouch down, but he does and hovers his hands above the bird. He has no clue what he might be doing, but it feels right. He feels a surge of energy leaving him, and he closes his eyes. Everyone sees a slight mystical wind forming leaving his hands, and entering the animal. To the astonishment of everyone, the bird starts flapping its wings, and open its eyes. Mark and Jeno gasped as they saw the bird suddenly stand up, and fly away as if nothing happened.

“Woah!” Haechan yelled, amazed, “where did you learn that?”

“I- I don’t know,” Jungwoo mumbled, as he stood up. He noticed everyone suddenly staring at him, and he couldn’t help but feel the heat of slight embarrassment in his cheeks. Taeyong noticed Jungwoo’s discomfort of being the center of attention.

“Okay, everyone,” Taeyong said, turning everyone’s attention to him, “let’s all go inside. We can continue tomorrow, and I will show you some tricks to help you.”

Mark and Haechan groaned, but along with the others, started walking towards the house. Taeyong was walking beside Jaehyun, when he saw Plonk rushing to him.

“Supreme, I just received a distress call,” Plonk declared, catching Taeyong’s attention. He noticed the worry in the goblin’s eyes, and knew something important must have happened. Plonk leans closer to Taeyong, and whispers to his ears. Jaehyun can’t hear their conversation, but based on Taeyong’s face, he knew something was wrong.

“I’ll look into it right away,” Taeyong said, “thank you for telling me this.”

Plonk nodded and excused himself, Jaehyun saw as the goblin hurried himself towards the house.

“What’s wrong?” Jaehyun asked, feeling Taeyong’s worry.

“There’s been report of supernatural forces attacking humans in a small town,” Taeyong explained, “we need to go right away.”

“Taeil and Doyoung are with Woozi and Hoshi at the border,” Jaehyun reminds Taeyong, “I don’t think we can get ahold of them.”

Taeyong sighed and thought about it deeply. He looked in front of him, and saw his coven entering the house. He didn’t want to put none of them in any danger, especially if they are not trained properly. He sensed that going alone with Jaehyun was a terrible idea, and felt like he had no choice.

“Johnny is too weak to go, and I want Jisung to stay,” Taeyong said, knowing he couldn’t bear to have the youngest one in danger, “the others are coming.”

“I’ll tell them to prepare,” Jaehyun replied.

 

“Where exactly did you teleport us again?” Haechan questioned, picking up a purse that was lying on the floor.

“We’re in Namdaemun,” Jaehyun explained, scanning the area. The place seemed isolated, but the random objects on the floors and cars suggested there were people here recently. Groceries, wallets, and phones were randomly thrown in the floor, showing the desperate escape from the humans.

“Where is everyone?” Mark asked, walking beside Haechan. Taeyong inspected the scene closely, and felt the energy of human souls surrounding the place. They weren’t in the town, but Taeyong knew they were close.

“They must be in the neighboring towns,” Taeyong said, “Jaehyun, I want you to go with Mark and Haechan and see if you can find the escaped civilians. They’re probably fearful for their lives, so try to calm them down.”

Jaehyun processed what Taeyong told him and nodded. He approached Taeyong and gave him one last look.

“You sure you’ll be okay?” Jaehyun whispered, softly. Taeyong chuckled slightly and nodded quickly.

“I will,” Taeyong whispered back, “remember, you have to erase the memories of the civilians. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Jaehyun smiled, and gave him a kiss in the forehead. It was the first time Taeyong ever saw Jaehyun being so soft towards him. He always knew there was some chemistry, but Taeyong is finally seeing Jaehyun that’s accepting him as more than just a friend. Jaehyun eventually disappeared with Mark and Haechan, leaving Taeyong with this new feeling.

Taeyong followed Jungwoo, Jeno, and Jaemin into the center of the town. It was desolated and bleak, with a dense fog making it hard to see. Jaemin noticed a large warehouse on one of the blocks, and for some odd reason, he felt magnetically attracted to it. He wasn’t alone, as he saw Taeyong walking towards it. Everyone else followed Taeyong, and the fog started to accumulate as they neared the building. It was an ordinary warehouse, with grey walls and no windows, but when they entered, they found a dark room filled with boxes.

Jungwoo walks around the warehouse, scanning the boxes, trying to find anything unusual. For now, they just seemed like normal boxes, and Jungwoo wondered why they all felt this connection to this place. It was not an amazing feeling, but a sort of repulsion towards this place. He felt like his mind was warning him about something, but they came here to investigate. Jungwoo started believing it might be the foggy atmosphere messing with them, and that this place was nothing special.

“Have you guys found anything?” Jungwoo heard Jaemin ask closely, but Jungwoo couldn’t see him. Jungwoo realize he couldn’t see anyone, since the boxes were stacked in aisles, making some sort of maze. He started to feel small and claustrophobic, but tried to distract his mind.

“No, nothing,” Jeno answered, “everything seems normal.”

“Just keep looking,” Taeyong said, rubbing his forehead, “there has to be something.”

Jeno shrugged, but kept walking deeper into the aisle. His mind was preoccupied by the burnt and cut out trees he saw when they teleported to the town. He hated seeing trees in such state, and while no one else did, he felt the pain of nature. He always felt the grief of loss in the environment near him, which he credits his lineage and upbringing. He didn’t grow up with humans; in fact, he was born in Lienim. So, for him, it was hard to see how careless humans were towards nature.

_“Oh, Jeno, why do you go to the woods? You get injured every time with your two left feet,” an elderly woman softly said, applying healing cream towards the young boy’s knee._

_“I was trying to save the flowers from dying, grandma” Jeno replied, wincing at the pain in his knees._

_“You’re a good boy, Jeno,” the lady stated, “you just have to learn that sometimes we can’t save them all.”_

  
As Jeno reminisce those important memories involving his grandma, he didn’t notice a medal rod on the floor as he walked. He tripped on the rod, and fell hard on the floor. He felt the pain ringing in his arms and legs, and curled up on the floor until he got use to the pain. He suddenly heard an inhuman growl hovering over him, and he instantly looked up. He saw a demonic creature, with curled up horns and wings, looking straight down at him with its mouth open. Jeno has never seen such a disgusting creature before, and its bat-like wings opened and it revealed nasty long claws, making Jeno look at it with fearful wide eyes. Jeno was still laying on the floor, shaking uncontrollably, and he started crawling backwards, not keeping his eyes away from the creature. As he was about to call for help, the creature lunged at him. Jeno yelled and put his arms up to protect his face, feeling the claws digging in his arms. He struggled with the creature, trying to push it away, but it was strong, and the wings overpowered Jeno. He tried his best to remember any attack spells from his training, but the pain and fear coursing through his mind blocked his memory.

“Remember that it has everything to do with your desire, you already have the magic in your blood.” Jeno kept remembering those exact words from Taeyong this morning, but no matter how much he desired it, nothing came out. He felt weak, and the pain started to grow numb. His arms were shaking as he tried to keep the creature away, but he knew his arms will give up any second. His eyesight started to blur, and then all he saw was darkness. He fell to the ground, and he waited for his fate to be sealed. Instead, he heard the creature cry out in agony, and a familiar voice chanting a spell.

“Sruya nio ara pre!” Taeyong shouted, staring at the demonic creature with fury. The creature bursts into flames in an instant, and tries to fly away, but the fire consumes it before it could get to safety. It falls to the ground, flailing around desperately as the fire starts to leave no trace of the beast. Taeyong turned around to see Jeno, still laying on the floor, being comforted by Jaemin. Just then, another creature appeared from the corners of the warehouse, and lunged towards Taeyong. The warehouse doors burst open, and Jaehyun, along with Mark and Haechan appeared. When Jaehyun saw the creature heading towards Taeyong, he chanted the same spell that Taeyong used on the first creature.

Taeyong was shocked to see the other beast so close to him, and when he saw it burn, he looked around the room until he saw Jaehyun. They both could see the fear and disturbance in their eyes, and Jaehyun ran towards Taeyong.

“Jeno, please stay conscious,” Jaemin said, visibly shaken, “please stay with me. You’re going to be okay.”

“My…chest hurts,” Jeno whispered, “it stabbed…my chest.”

“Everything is going to be okay,” Jaemin reassured, and mostly to himself. Jaemin knew everything had to be okay, because he couldn’t bear to lose his best friend.

“How is he?” Taeyong asked, kneeling and inspecting Jeno’s body. He ripped Jeno’s shirt, and saw the stab wounds and scars on his chests. Taeyong worried that Jeno has lost a lot of blood by this point, but he couldn’t give up hope.

“I’m trying to keep him awake, but it’s hard,” Jaemin, on the verge of tears. Taeyong extended an arm to rub Jaemin’s back and comfort him.

“What the hell happened?” Jaehyun questioned, standing behind Taeyong. Mark and Haechan are beside him, visibly worried over the state of their friend.

“I don’t know, he told me he tripped and suddenly he saw that thing,” Jaemin replied, hugging himself as he saw Taeyong chant a spell. Jaehyun nodded, and Haechan copied him, knowing that Jeno is a clumsy person. Taeyong sighed deeply and shook his head.

“The wounds are too deep,” he explained, “my healing spells are not working.”

“Maybe I can help,” a soft voice behind Haechan and Mark said. Everyone stared, and saw a tall Jungwoo hovering over them.

“Fuck! You’re the healer!” Haechan yelled, “where the hell were you all this time?”

“I was in the back of the warehouse, and it’s a maze in there,” Jungwoo stated, “I tried to get out as fast as possible when I heard yelling.”

“What are you waiting for?” Jaemin asked, and he stood up and dragged Jungwoo towards Jeno. Jaemin felt hope beginning to appear before his eyes as he saw Jungwoo touch Jeno’s stab wounds, and it immediately transformed into unharmed skin. Jeno’s heavy breathing gradually turned back to a normal pace, and instead of droopy eyes, they were wide open. Jeno started to move, and he looked up at his members.

“I feel…amazing,” Jeno confessed, touching his chest to verify that his scars were not there. Jaemin smiled, and gave Jeno a surprise hug. Jeno returned the hug, hiding his smile behind Jaemin’s coat.

“Thank you,” Taeyong told Jungwoo, though his eyes were on the floor, “you saved him.”

“I just did what I had to do,” Jungwoo replied softly, directing his gaze to Jaehyun.

Jaehyun smiled at Jungwoo and mouthed a quick ‘thank you’ at him before walking towards Taeyong.

“I know you’re affected by this,” Jaehyun whispered to Taeyong, “but this is beyond us now. We have to tell the Council.”

“I am the Supreme,” Taeyong said, tensing his shoulders, “if anyone should deal with this, it should be me. It almost killed one of my boys.”

“I understand, Taeyong, but you know the rules,” Jaehyun argued, “this is something for the Council to investigate. Don’t be like Suho, who disrespected the rules of the Council.”

Taeyong looked back at Jaehyun with anger in his eyes, and he didn’t stop staring. Jaehyun knew he hit a sensitive topic, but he hoped he reasoned with Taeyong.

“Do not compare me with him,” Taeyong warned, his eyes darkening, “Start telling the others we are leaving.”

 

The journey home was quiet and awkward, but no one complained. Jaemin was beside Jeno, with Jungwoo following close behind, and Mark and Haechan were whispering about the event they witnessed in the warehouse. Taeyong was walking in front of everyone, and Jaehyun was trying to keep up with him, but he knew the Supreme did not want to be in his company. Jaehyun sighed and shook his head as he figured out ways to make Taeyong less angry at him in his mind.

Taeyong wasted no time in building a portal that would take them directly home. The golden circle appeared, and everyone was excited to finally arrive home. It was still a mystery to them what exactly happened in the town, and what attacked them, but Taeyong hated to admit that Jaehyun was right: it was up to the Council to decide what to do next. They entered the house, and Mark and Haechan immediately headed to the kitchen. Jungwoo stayed in the common room, trying to find a book to read and pass time. Taeyong told Jaemin to take Jeno to his room, and to make sure he gets proper rest. When Taeyong saw that his coven members were safe and busy in the house, he turned his attention towards Jaehyun.

“Come to my office with me,” Taeyong simply said, turning around and climbing the stairs. Jaehyun stood there in confusion, but eventually followed him. He entered Taeyong’s office, and what usually always seemed like an organized room, looked messy and chaotic. Papers piled up in the desk, along with some open books, and empty potion flasks on the floor.

“Should I be concerned about any potion leakage on the floor?” Jaehyun asked, half-jokingly.

“We are not here to discuss my messy ass room,” Taeyong stated, sitting down on his chair. Jaehyun nodded, and sat down on one of the chairs in the corner of the room. Taeyong opened his hands in Jaehyun’s direction, and Jaehyun, along with the chair, was dragged all the way to Taeyong’s side.

“If you wanted me to sit next to you,” Jaehyun panted, “you could have just asked.”

“I don’t like asking for things,” Taeyong said, analyzing his nails, “I rather just do them.”

“Taeyong I just wanted to say that I’m sorry-“

Jaehyun couldn’t finish his apology after seeing Taeyong, who started sobbing uncontrollably beside him. Jaehyun has never seen Taeyong tear up in front of him, so he did not know how to react. He was internally panicking, but he knew he had to comfort Taeyong. Jaehyun extended his arm, and grabbed Taeyong’s shoulder, hoping Taeyong would see it as a sign of comfort. Much to Jaehyun’s horror, it made Taeyong cry even harder.

“Tell me, Jaehyun,” Taeyong sobbed, “how can I be a good Supreme, when I can’t even save my own members from danger?”

“But you did save him! You killed that thing,” Jaehyun told Taeyong, and he wiped a tear from Taeyong’s cheeks.

“I killed only one of them,” Taeyong said, shaking his head, “yet Jeno could have died because of his wounds if Jungwoo wasn’t there.”

“Even if the most powerful witch was there, they still would have needed Jungwoo to heal Jeno,” Jaehyun assured him, “he comes from a powerful lineage of healers, and only they can work wonders on the dead. No one else can. It was not your fault.”

“It’s just that,” Taeyong began, grabbing a napkin, “when you mentioned Suho, I remembered all the pain he went through as the Supreme. All I can think is, am I going to go through that? Jaehyun, I can’t! I can’t bear to lose any of my boys.”

Taeyong broke down into more tears, and Jaehyun hugged him tightly. He felt Taeyong’s tears staining his shirt, but he didn’t mind. He wanted to comfort him, and protect him from the dark thoughts of his own mind.

“That is not going to happen,” Jaehyun said, “that will never happen. I was going to tell you I was sorry for mentioning Suho, because you are nothing like him. You will be a better Supreme, I promise you.”

Taeyong let go of Jaehyun, and looked at him with sad yet a glimpse of hopeful eyes. He crept up a small smile, before he heard a small knock in the front door. They both immediately stood up, and Taeyong wiped away his tears and blinked several times to compose his eyes. Jaehyun walked towards the door, and opened it to reveal a serious Taeil.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your meeting,” Taeil stated, looking at them with suspicion.

“No, it’s completely fine. We actually needed to talk to you,” Taeyong clarified, “and the whole Council.”

“I’m afraid that’s going to have to wait,” Taeil answered, “because we have important guests.”

“Guests?” Jaehyun asked, “what type of guests?”

“The Southern Chinese Coven,” Taeil responded, causing Jaehyun and Taeyong to look at each other in shock.

“What are they doing here?” Taeyong questioned, brushing any dust from his clothes and fixing his hair.

“They won’t tell us until they see you,” Taeil said, “they were very picky about that. They need everyone in the room, which includes the Supreme.”

Taeyong nodded, and looked at Jaehyun for final reassurance. Jaehyun gave him a final nod, and they both left the office with Taeil. The trio walked across the dark corridor, and Taeyong felt his heart race each second. He has never interacted with another coven, only the other Korean coven in Busan who are supposed to be his coven brothers. These are the Chinese coven, one of the oldest and most respectable covens in the universe. Taeyong cursed at himself for looking like a mess at this precise moment, but he couldn’t keep them waiting. The trio walked down the stairs, and Taeyong almost felt like puking when he saw the crowd of people staring at him. Of course, they were staring at him; he was the Supreme of the house. Taeyong saw a brown-haired man with a strong gaze and a long cape coat at the center, and Taeyong assumed he was the Supreme of the Chinese coven.

“Good evening,” Taeyong announced, “we are honored to have you visiting us. May I ask why the special occasion?”  
The brown-haired man looked at him for a few seconds, then turned around and nodded at the coven. Suddenly, everyone in the foreign coven bow down slightly, and waited for the Supreme to rise again. Taeyong was amazed, and it looked like the Supreme was the composer and the coven members were the performers.

“Thank you for accepting us into your house, Supreme Taeyong,” the Supreme stated, “my name is Qian Kun, and I am the Supreme of the Southern Chinese Coven.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Taeyong answered, “it’s unusual to have foreign guests in our house.”

“We wouldn’t be here if it was not important,” Kun said, “can we speak alone for a moment?”

Taeyong seemed surprised at the request, and looked back at Taeil, who nodded in approval.

“Of course,” Taeyong said, “follow me.”

Kun follows Taeyong inside the empty dining room area. He inspects the long dining table filled with plates and forks that were placed there for tonight’s dinner.

“Please, have a seat,” Taeyong suggested. Kun nodded and sat down on one of the many chairs in the dining table.

“Supreme Taeyong-“

“Oh please, just call me Taeyong,” Taeyong commented, “there’s no reason to get too professional with me.”

“Oh,” Kun replied, slightly chuckling, “in that case, you can call me Kun.”

“What’s the reason behind your visit, Kun?” Taeyong asked, folding his arms. Kun focused on his hands for a moment, but then stared at Taeyong with a serious expression.

“I am afraid something very evil is roaming around our world,” Kun warned, “I learned about it when a Thai witch came to ask for help. I didn’t believe them at first, but something terribly wrong is going on. The world is slowly decaying, Taeyong. It is dying at a rate I have never seen. I’ve seen creatures from the other side starting to appear. An evil force is among us, and my dream told me to come here. It told me to come to you. I don’t know why I felt so compelled to come, but it felt right. I know something is wrong, because I’ve seen it both in the real world and the dream world.”

Taeyong stared at Kun with wide eyes as the latter explained to him his reasons for coming. When Kun mentioned the creatures from the other side, Taeyong felt his body shiver, and he knew that what he saw today was definitely not a coincidence. Taeyong could see the fear and anguish in Kun’s eyes, and he also knew that Kun’s dream could be warning them of danger.

“What did the Thai witch see?” Taeyong questioned, “I need to know everything.”

“He told me that his coven was attacked by someone,” Kun explained, “did you not know? The whole Thai clan has vanished.”  
Taeyong looked at him in shock as Kun told the news. The entire Thai clan was gone? Taeyong couldn’t believe he was that out of touch with the rest of the covens in the world. He always believed that everyone tackled their own problems, so he never knew what was happening anywhere else in the supernatural world but South Korea. Taeyong knew this was serious, since a whole clan of witches were not powerful enough for one attack.

“Who attacked them?” Taeyong asked hysterically, “How were they attacked? Why were they attacked?”

Before Kun could respond, they heard a loud crash on the kitchen. Taeyong looked confused, and became alarmed when he started hearing running from his coven members.

“Who the hell are you?” Haechan yelled loudly from the kitchen. Taeyong immediately stood up and ran to the kitchen. He opened the kitchen door, and Kun followed him behind. Taeyong saw a stranger tied up on the floor, and Haechan, Jaemin, Doyoung, and two Chinese members surrounding the stranger. His hair was blonde and with long bangs covering his eyes, and he tried to free himself from the restraints.

“Is he one of yours?” Doyoung pointed at Kun, and Kun shook his head.

“Then, who the fuck is he?” Jaemin asked, looking at Doyoung.

“Remove the tape from his mouth and maybe he’ll tell us,” Doyoung said, clearly unamused.

“I am not going near him,” Jaemin commented, putting his hands up, “don’t you have a spell to know his identity?”

“I tried that, already,” Taeyong responded, “but he seems to be in some sort of protection spell.”

“Sicheng, just remove the tape,” Kun ordered, and the Chinese sorcerer did as he was told. He ripped out the tape with force, making the stranger cry out in pain.

“Now, tell us who you are,” Sicheng warned, “or you’ll know what real pain is.”

Taeyong was surprised to hear the Chinese man’s words, and wondered if the coven always used these rough methods to get what they wanted. Taeyong thought they certainly lived up to their reputation.

“Yes, I’ll fucking tell you who I am, just please stop putting that tape in my mouth,” the man stated, “my name is Yuta, and I’m from the Japanese Coven.”

“Oh great, another guest,” Doyoung commented as he walked away, “tell me when the dinner is ready.”


	5. Vision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the two week wait again! Hope you enjoy this chapter! (Lowkey couldn't even have it proofread by my amazing editor unless you wanted to wait more so please bear any grammar mistakes and awful writing lol!)
> 
> A/N: In the Coven History section, when I mention "escape persecution", I have a specific history regarding that, because trust me I have pages full of notes on the Korean Coven's history. Also, the "demon" language is definitely not Latin lol, even though it looks like it, but I just come up with the words in my head so no worries.

Coven History #5

  * Supreme Suho over time created a safehouse, in order to escape persecution, and they all lived peacefully, fighting evil with caution.
  * He tried to ally with the Chinese clan, but Supreme Kris was not as compliant.
  * Suho offered new witches to join, one of the first ones being Taeyong, who later became Supreme.
  * Suho suffered great loss with the death of Baekhyun and Kyungsoo when Dark Wizards attacked.
  * It took such a toll on him, that his mind deteriorated and started reigning with a dictator-like mindset, until Taeyong took his place.
  * By that time, most of the sorcerers left the Coven and went to do magic by themselves.
  * Taeyong and his close friend, Seungcheol, were both equally as powerful, and decided to create two safehouses. One in Seoul, and the other one in Busan, with Taeyong as the official Supreme and Seungcheol as his Right Hand.



 

 

 

_February 28, 2019 (Night)_

Doyoung slowly opened the rusty metal doors, wincing slightly as it erupted a loud creak that echoed across the warehouse. It was pitch black inside, and the small windows near the roof didn’t help lit up the place given how dark it was equally outside. Doyoung entered the building, and turned his head to see Taeil following him. He knew the older man was behind him – given the distinct cologne the sorcerer always preferred to use. Doyoung could probably smell it from a mile away, and it helped that he spent most of his day next to the sorcerer. He saw two other figures enter after Taeil, and Doyoung kept walking towards the center of the warehouse, knowing the rest of the Council was present.

“So, one of your members was attacked by a demon-like figure?” Hoshi asked, writing down notes on his notepad. Taeil followed Woozi, who was inspecting some of the old squashed boxes that started leaking an unknown substance.

“Yes, that’s what the Supreme told me,” Doyoung answered, gazing at the floor that had a small stain of blood, “I don’t think the Supreme would lie about something like that.”

“I don’t think he’s lying,” Hoshi said, standing beside Doyoung, “it’s just weird to suddenly have a demon attack. There hasn’t been a demon attack in years.”

“Ever since Suho was Supreme,” Doyoung reminded, staring at Hoshi, “and you know how _that_ turned out.”

They all heard rustling noises from outside, and Doyoung immediately became alarmed. Taeil lifted his hands, and two emerald-colored revolving circles appeared from them, ready to be used for protection. Hoshi copied him, and instead of the green hue, a bright yellow neon circle formed in his hands instead. The door started shaking frantically, and it felt like at any second it would burst open and make the doors detach from the wall. Before any damage could happen, the shaking suddenly stopped, and then the double doors swiftly opened. Doyoung looked with wide eyes as three figures appeared, and Doyoung’s first instinct was to attack but he decided to restrain himself. He sighed in relief when he recognized the three faces appearing inside the warehouse.

“Who the hell are you guys?” Hoshi asked, still threatening them with his magic circles in his hands. He didn’t notice Taeil backing down and fading his own circles, and looking at the three intruders in confusion.

“They are the Chinese Council,” Taeil explained, “from the Southern district to be more specific.”

“We didn’t mean to arrive unannounced,” Xiaojun expressed, walking towards the four Korean sorcerers, “we just didn’t know who to tell, so we just decided to follow you all.”

“Why did you want to follow us?” Woozi questioned, still suspicious of the Chinese trio.

“Your Supreme told _our_ Supreme what occurred here,” Hendery responded, smirking at the tiny witch who eyed him intensely, “we wanted to conduct our own investigation.”

“Well, it would be rude of us to deny you to do your own research,” Taeil said, as he gazed at his fellow Council members who reluctantly agreed. Doyoung shrugged his shoulders and flailed his right hand uninterested in the rest of the conversation.

He walked neared the scene of the attack, and felt the dim lights of the warehouse fading as he reached closer to where the demon burned to death. He felt the air pushing him down to the ground, and his ears heard a low frequency that started to slightly disturb him. It started to smell of something foul, and Doyoung was sure it was the smell of decomposing flesh. He covered his nose, but he knew it was a wasteful effort due to the strong stench overpowering the air. He finally reached the exact spot where the attack took place, and he instantly felt dizzy and tired. Doyoung knows something is off about this place, and the way his body is reacting to it is not normal.

Then he felt it.

He felt it swift at first, like a simple wind passing by him. Then it started sticking to him like black goo, and it made Doyoung feel _dirty._ Finally, it grasped him with force, and he felt like he was suffocating. He doesn’t remember when his vision suddenly became a black void, but he could only imagine how terrible his eyes must have rolled back, showing only white mist.

He was no longer in the same old warehouse with the rest of the Council witches. He looked around an empty dark room, with no windows or a door. He felt trapped, and there was no way out. Doyoung did not panic, though; he was familiar with this place. He knew this place _too_ well, and hated to admit that it started to feel like home. He would be brought here willingly or unwillingly, but he knew he would leave with a feeling of dread.

He didn’t know exactly where he was, and he wasn’t sure whether it was Hell or not. Doyoung doesn’t want to believe he can access Hell that easily, so he tells himself it’s a middle ground between the mortal land and Hell. He started to hear growling noises echoing throughout the room, and he hugs his knees for comfort as he sits in the far corner.

 _“Enor, atamos odo o ue iamos”,_ a nasty voice snarled. Doyoung recognized the demonic language, a language he knew without ever being taught about it. _Sir, we did everything we could. Why did demon say that?_ Doyoung focused closely on the voice.

 _“E Premo se u deoso”,_ the voice continued, “ _iene a nu uardor.”_

 _The Supreme is too powerful, and they have a healer._ Doyoung struggled to translate, but he hoped he got most of it right. He knew they were talking about the attack that happened in the warehouse, and the way Taeyong destroyed one of the gargoyles, as well as Jungwoo healing Jeno from what seemed like certain death. Doyoung knew that if the demon saw him, it won’t hesitate to kill him. Doyoung for the first time did not know what to do. He was never in any imminent danger when he was in this place, and he would usually just hear the spirits of the dead speaking. This time it was different. He heard a demon talking about an incident that almost killed one of his coven members. He felt the darkness enveloping him and suffocating him, yet he knew nothing was attacking him. He closed his eyes, and hoped he would leave this place. He kept hearing growling noises within the walls, and he covered his ears. He started swaying his body, and chanted a protection spell as he felt the dark energy consume him.

“ _Progeme vinor Mae,_ ” Doyoung whispered repeatedly, “please, protect me divine Mother.”

 _Doyoung! Doyoung, come back!_ Those words echoed loudly through Doyoung’s mind, and he didn’t know where it came from. Doyoung wanted to get away from this place, but he still felt the stench and the darkness surrounding and cornering him. Doyoung still kept his eyes closed, and he started screaming, hoping someone will hear him.

“Doyoung, come back!” Taeil shouted, and Doyoung took a deep breath before falling to the ground. Doyoung looked around him, panicking and gasping for air. Taeil leaned down to comfort the witch, who started tearing up from the experience. Xiaojun was confused, but worried over the traumatic state of the Korean Council member. He was the first to notice the strange appearance of Doyoung, where his eyes were rolled back, and he was convulsing lightly. Xiaojun was the one who yelled for Taeil to come help the affected sorcerer, and he saw the perturbed look on Taeil’s face.

Doyoung’s eyes were back to normal, and he was still gaining back his energy after visiting that once familiar place. Doyoung never believed he will hear actual demons and gargoyles talking, and see the place filled with the most malevolent spirits. Woozi crouched down next to Doyoung, and gave him a comforting pat on the back.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Woozi asked, and even though Doyoung was still sweating profusely and breathing quickly, he nodded. Woozi looked over to Hoshi and gestured for him to write down anything Doyoung told them.

“I was _there_ ,” Doyoung began, closing his eyes to hold back his tears.

“You mean the spirit realm?” Taeil said, and Doyoung nodded but his face showed a pained expression.

“I was there, but it wasn’t the same,” Doyoung explained, turning his gaze towards Taeil, “I felt something dark; something impure. I even…heard a demon speak.”

Everyone gasped when they heard Doyoung’s words. Xiaojun glanced back at Hendery, who held the same disturbed and worried look.

“Did you understand the demon’s words?” Taeil asked, caressing Doyoung’s back and moving a piece of hair from his face.

“It was talking about what happened _here_ ,” Doyoung replied, “and made it sound like their plan failed because of Taeyong and Jungwoo.”

“Jungwoo? Who’s Jungwoo?” Woozi questioned.

“He’s a new coven member, and he can heal people,” Taeil answered, “even after they are dead.”

Woozi nodded and Hoshi wrote down the new information on his notes. Xiaojun from the corner of his eyes saw Yangyang staring at him, with a clear epiphany in his eyes.

“So, you think this was planned from the start? You think they wanted to harm us?” Woozi asked Doyoung, and the latter held his breath for a moment. He knew what he heard and saw, and worse, he knew what he _felt_.

“I don’t believe they wanted to harm us. I believe they wanted to kill us,” Doyoung gravely admitted, causing everyone to stare wide-eyed.

“I see no reason why you would lie about such a thing,” Taeil said, reaching to hold Doyoung’s hands, “so I will call this an emergency. Does the rest of the Council agree?”

Woozi and Hoshi both nodded, usually always agreeing with the Head of the Council. Hoshi wrote down the last pieces of information, and then walked around the warehouse, where he illuminated the corners to showcase more light around the building.

“What do you do in cases of emergency?” Xiaojun asked, turning his attention towards Taeil.

“We usually never have severe cases like this,” Taeil explained, grabbing a tiny transparent glass ball from his pocket, “but our first action is to protect all supernatural creatures and keep the towns under a protection spell.”

“We can help with that!” Yangyang offered eagerly, making Taeil chuckle.

“We would appreciate any help we can get,” Taeil expressed, staring at Yangyang, “I see you’re a pretty young Council member.”

“He’s eighteen years old, but even though he can have a young spirit, he’s shown to be wise,” Xiaojun said, smiling and hugging Yangyang with one arm.

“I always believed the Chinese Council was a bunch of old intimidating serious men with a high superiority attitude,” Woozi chimed in, “but I can see how wrong I was.”

“Trust me, we’re not that good at being intimidating,” Yangyang joked, “the _real_ intimidating one will be our Supreme. He does not play around.”

“I can’t argue with that. He did look pretty intimidating,” Taeil agreed, smiling lightly. He lifted the glass ball, and closed his eyes as he whispered a spell.

“I haven’t seen a Midnight Vidrio in a long time,” Xiaojun said, watching Taeil perform his spell.

“What does a Midnight Vidrio do?” Yangyang asked, clearly still learning about all magical artifacts.

“It just acts like a transmitter, sending a mind message to multiple people,” Woozi explained, “right now Taeil wants to warn any leaders of a supernatural race that there could be danger close to them and to take precautions. Just to safe until we can officially cast the protection spells.”

Doyoung stood in the same position for the past several minutes, still trying to compose himself. He wasn’t feeling scared or disgusted anymore, but he knew that everything will change now. Taeil just announced this as an emergency, and the last time they had a similar emergency, Doyoung was told two sorcerers lost their lives. The last Supreme wasn’t the same after it happened, and caused a great deal of pain for everyone in the Coven.

“So, what’s your story?” Hendery asked, standing closely beside Doyoung.

“Excuse me?” Doyoung replied, looking at him confused.

“How were you able to enter that place?” Hendery explained further, “how do you know so much about the spirit realm?”

Doyoung sighed and looked in front of him, which was nothing more than just stacks of boxes and old cabinets. He then looked at the roof, and started remembering the first day he met Taeyong and Jaehyun.

“I don’t know,” Doyoung admitted, still staring at the roof, “I was always able to enter and speak to dead souls freely.”

“Ever since you were little?”

Doyoung shook his head, and looked back at Hendery.

“When I was little, all I remember was seeing spirits,” Doyoung described, “it wasn’t until I began using magic that I suddenly was able to enter that place.”

“Seems like you needed to discover your inner magic abilities first,” Hendery said, interested in the sorcerer’s story.

“Taeil and I did some research into my past,” Doyoung revealed, “I figured out my witch ancestor was named Ryeo-wook, and he was known as someone who dealt with demons. His notes even became crucial information with how to summon or get rid of them.”

“His descendants probably channel his energy,” Hendery said, “and you probably come from a long line of demonologists. I think that’s quite interesting.”

Doyoung crept a small smile after hearing Hendery’s words. He doesn’t like speaking much about his direct ancestor, since spending your entire life and craft to understand demons wasn’t seen too honorable in the witch community. Doyoung was genuinely surprised at Hendery’s comforting words, even though he didn’t know the rest of the story.

“Ryeo-wook’s lineage didn’t quite follow his ethical ways,” Doyoung suddenly admitted, “some of them delved into black magic. Which is why for such a long time no one from his lineage was part of the Korean Coven, as they were shunned from the community for their practices.”

“But you’re not them, and I’m pretty sure the Coven accepts you. Taeil seems to really care for you,” Hendery replied, and he patted Doyoung’s shoulders before walking away to join his council. Doyoung was left alone, feeling a strange comforting aura surround him. He always knew he could count on Taeil for anything, and he _knew_ the sorcerer would be there to help him. Hearing it from someone else brought a new sense of security to Doyoung, and he wandered his eyes towards Taeil. The Head of the Council returned his gaze and smiled – walking towards him.

“Woozi and Hoshi are heading back to Busan and cast the protection spells on Ezam. I told the Chinese council I was heading to Lienim,” Taeil explained, “are you ready to leave?”

Even though Doyoung is concerned over the dangers he personally witnessed, he couldn’t help but feel safe around Taeil. Doyoung smiled and nodded at him.

“Yes, I’m ready.”

 

 

“So, let me get this straight. You decide to break into this house, and yet you don’t even know where you are?” Taeyong resumed, glaring angrily at the Japanese man. The latter squirmed uncomfortably on his chair, intimidated by the four sorcerers surrounding him.

“I came here because my vision told me to,” Yuta replied monotonously. Taeyong sighed and shook his head, while Kun suddenly banged his hands on the dinner table, startling everyone.

“I call bullshit,” Kun hissed, moving his head closer to Yuta, “are you working with that evil witch?”

“I’m not working with anyone and I’m not lying! I know what I saw in my vision.”

“What did you see?” Jaehyun asked, sitting on the chair opposite to Yuta.

“You’re really going to believe this poor vision excuse,” huffed Sicheng, looking at Yuta with contempt.

“Letting him talk will be the best option we have,” Jaehyun explained, looking back at Sicheng who rolled his eyes.

“Start talking,” Kun ordered, eyeing Yuta intensely.

“I haven’t had a vision like this in a long time,” Yuta began, “but it felt so real. My coven members always told me I had clairvoyant visions. If only I had a vision for that attack…”

“What attack?” Taeyong asked, noticing Yuta’s darkened expression. The Japanese man looked like he was about to tear up in front of them, but he took a deep breath and composed himself.

“My coven was attacked by someone,” Yuta admitted, and Taeyong and Kun looked at each other shocked.

“Attacked by whom?” Kun questioned, turning back to his chair.

“I wish I knew, but everything was such a blur. It happened too fast…” Yuta explained, looking down at the floor expressionless, “it was when I was running away that a vision came to me. It was horrible. All I saw was fire, and heard nothing but screams. I think I was seeing the apocalypse. Then I started seeing glimpses of things, and the first one was this house and the Seoul airport. Then I saw myself holding hands with someone, but I couldn’t see their face. I looked so scared and helpless. The last image was very weird. It was a plant that slowly died, and then seconds later I see it come back to life. Sometimes my visions don’t make a lot of sense.”

When Yuta finished explaining, everyone looked at each other with worried looks. Even though they just met this witch, who came in uninvited to the house, they felt he was telling the truth. He sounded in pain and grief, and Taeyong reached for his hands. Taeyong doesn’t care if he wasn’t a Korean coven member, the Supreme suddenly felt inclined to comfort him.

“I’m sorry for what happened to you,” Taeyong consoled, caressing Yuta’s hands, “maybe your vision was helping you find safety. Do you know if anyone else in your coven is safe?”

Yuta shook his head and took a deep breath.

“I don’t think a lot of them made it out alive,” Yuta said, and he felt Kun’s comforting hands, “they just told me to run and to not come back.”

“There’s certainly something dangerous happening,” Jaehyun expressed, “we all have to be united and be prepared for anything.”

“Jaehyun is right,” Taeyong stated, “Yuta’s vision could be a warning, and we should take it seriously.”

“First the Thai covens, and now the Japanese covens,” Kun commented, placing a finger on his chin,  “they’re going one by one.”

“I think he has his eyes on Korea now,” Taeyong warned, and everyone looked at him alarmed, “especially after that attack in the warehouse.”

“Everything is pointing here,” Kun agreed, “my dream and Yuta’s vision. Something is going to happen here.”

Taeyong sighed, and covered his face with his hands. It wasn’t easy being told that your country and coven members were in danger by a witch who managed to destroy two covens already. Taeyong felt the pressure build up for him, and he knew he couldn’t look weak in front of any of his members. He felt a soft hand caress his back, and he looked to see Jaehyun standing beside him. Taeyong smiled softly, and they held hands.

“I think you’re all fine with him on your team,” Yuta admitted, pointing at Sicheng, “he almost killed me just by _looking_ at me.”

“I wouldn’t have hesitated to kill you if you were an enemy,” Sicheng replied, crossing his arms and glaring at Yuta.

“Ouch, well I’m glad I explained my side of the story pretty quickly,” Yuta commented, giving Sicheng a wink.

“You wink at me again, and you’ll definitely be an enemy,” Sicheng warned, leaning closer to Yuta.

“Duly noted,” Yuta replied, putting his hands up, “I’ll never wink again. Just please don’t use those ropes again.”

Sicheng chuckled once and looked away, while Yuta smiled widely as he saw the Chinese man walking away. Kun just stared at them in pure unbelievable shock, not understanding the interaction that just occurred in front of him. Kun’s deadliest and emotionless witch chuckling at someone’s comment? Kun thought he was starting to go insane.    

“I hope you’re finding our place hospitable,” Jaehyun said, smiling at Kun.

“We are! It is very spacious, and we feel very welcomed,” Kun replied, smiling back at Jaehyun.

“You have very interesting people in your coven,” Jaehyun stated, “I think one of them was named Lucas. He was wearing gloves the whole time, even while eating. Does he always wear gloves?”

“I have something to announce!” Kun suddenly said, ignoring Jaehyun’s question. Taeyong and Jaehyun turn their attention towards Kun.

“If it is alright with you all, I have decided to stay longer and perhaps help,” Kun proposed, “after all, anything that affects you also affects me. I want to get rid of this evil as soon as possible.”

“Of course, you can stay,” Taeyong assured, “we will need as much help as we can.”

“For now, I think we should protect the Trees of Life,” Kun suggested, “I hope you know where those are.”

“Yes, we do,” Taeyong replied.

“That should be our main priority,” Kun continued, “Ten told me his coven’s Trees of Life were burned down and taken by the witch.”

“Why would the witch burn down the Trees of Life?” Yuta suddenly asked, leaning closer to the trio.

“They probably want to use them for some spell or ritual,” Jaehyun explained, rubbing his chin, “having them in your possession could make you very powerful.”

“It was probably also used to break down the protection spells and weaken all witches in that region,” Taeyong added, pacing back and forth, “which is why they were able to destroy the Thai and Japanese covens.”

They all stared at one another, and even though they knew the dangers of their mission, it had to be done. Taeyong would do anything to protect his coven, and he was grateful he had the help from the Chinese Supreme, who are supposed to be one of their least allies. They both had one common goal; and that was to defeat evil and maintain peace in their coven.

 

Jisung swung his legs as he stared at the bright stars illuminating the night. He would usually spend his nights sitting on the roof – always reflecting about his progress in the coven. He definitely felt welcomed, and the Supreme never pressured him during training session, yet he couldn’t stop believing his was lacking _something._ Jisung rarely talked about the way he felt about his abilities, and he blamed his lack of social skills for that fact. He wasn’t particularly close to anyone in his coven, and if he had to think deeply about it, he would probably say he talks to Jeno the most. Though, he hasn’t talked to Jeno recently, since the plant-loving sorcerer usually spends his time with Jaemin in the greenhouse.

Jisung suddenly heard a metal object fall on the ground near him. He immediately stood up, alarmed by the sound. He saw a Chinese sorcerer staring back at him apologetically, as they picked up the sword from the floor.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” the Chinese witch said, bowing down repeatedly, “I just wanted to practice, and the roof looked like a nice place. I didn’t want to bother you, so I tried to be as quiet as possible.”

Jisung just kept staring at him, and he felt his heart return back to its normal rate. He let out a quiet sigh and nodded at the sorcerer, still keeping his hands on his chest.

“That’s fine,” Jisung breathed, picking up his sweater from the ground, “I was about to leave.”

“No, it’s okay! You don’t have to leave,” the young man insisted, and scratched his neck, deciding if he should say his next words. Jisung noticed his hesitance, and looked at him puzzled.

“Is there something you want to say?” Jisung asked, hoping that wasn’t the case. Jisung didn’t really know how to talk to strangers for more than one minute.

“It’s just that…you looked pretty alone when we were all eating dinner, and I noticed that you were younger than everyone else. I am also the youngest in my coven, so I wanted to see if we can maybe become friends?” the sorcerer explained; his face red from embarrassment. Jisung was surprised by the bluntness, but pure innocence of the Chinese witch, and he didn’t want to reject the proposal.

“Um, sure,” Jisung replied, looking around awkwardly, “I’m just warning you; I’m not that interesting.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t judge. My name is Chenle!”

The Chinese witch stretched his arms to formally greet Jisung, and Jisung stared at it for a few moments. He then shook his head lightly and reached for the witch’s hands, where they shook hands firmly.

“My name is Jisung.”

“Jisung, that’s a nice name,” Chenle commented, “so, are you the youngest one in the coven?”

“Yeah, everyone is much older than I am,” Jisung sighed, and they both sat down on the floor, “maybe that’s why I’m babied a lot.”

“I can relate. My Supreme doesn’t let me do a lot of things, even though I try to prove to him that I can protect myself.”

“I don’t think they’ll ever believe we are capable of defending ourselves,” Jisung said, tracing random patterns on the floor.

“I mean, it sucks because my parents want me to become Supreme,” Chenle disclosed, and Jisung noticed Chenle’s expression becoming serious, “but I don’t want to be Supreme. I never wanted to be the Supreme.”

Jisung felt his heart race quicker, and for the first time, he started to relate to another sorcerer. He just met this Chinese sorcerer, and all he saw was a reflection of himself. The cheery persona he saw earlier was no longer there, which didn’t bother him, but he didn’t want Chenle to believe he was alone. He didn’t want Chenle to believe he would never be understood.

“I’ve never told anyone this,” Jisung whispered, and he already felt his voice shaking, “but my family also has a lot of expectations for me. I mean, I am a descendant of the first Korean witch ever.”

“Woah, you are?”

“Yes, my family goes all the way back to him; to Heechul. So, obviously we have to live up to the reputation of having his blood inside ours. Yet, ever since that attack happened in Lienim…”

Jisung felt his eyes tearing up, making his pause his story. Chenle sat closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulders.

“You don’t have to tell me if it’s too painful,” Chenle reassured, and Jisung nodded as he took a deep breath.

“It’s just hard for me to talk about it,” Jisung said, his hands shaking, “but I wanted you to know that I _understand_ you.”

“Hey, we just met, so don’t worry. Trust me, we will have plenty of time to have deep talks,” Chenle stated, laughing lightly. Jisung smiled and laughed with him, and Chenle was relieved that he started feeling better. They didn’t count how long they’ve been talking outside after that, but all they knew was that more stars were appearing in the skies.

 

 

Portraits and an awful looking yellow wallpaper were all that covered the dark corridor. Lucas traced the uneven patterns of the wallpapers, comparing it to a poorly made maze. He could barely _feel_ the texture of the wall with his gloves, and he pondered on whether he should take them off. He was starting to feel the annoying itchiness and he just wanted to free his hands, but he decided to keep them on. He looked at the portraits, and saw how it evolved from paintings to modern photographs. He concluded that the people in the portraits were the previous Supremes of the coven, given the authoritative look in their faces. All of them are probably dead by now, and Lucas knew exactly what that journey felt like. He understood Death like if it was a close friend.

He stumbled upon a glowing crystal ball that was displayed at the end of the corridor. The crystal ball usually just looks transparent, but a black mist appeared inside this time. Lucas knew it was trying to tell him something, but he never experienced that dark color before. He reached for his left hand, and started slipping out his glove. The door next to the crystal suddenly opened, and a sorcerer quickly came out of it; bumping straight into Lucas. The Chinese witch was startled by the sudden appearance, and he pushed the stand where the crystal was, causing the crystal to fall and crack. The black mist disappeared, and the crystal ball was broken into pieces.

“Are you okay?” Jungwoo asked worriedly, walking towards Lucas to touch him, but Lucas took a step back. Jungwoo stopped on his tracks and just stared at the Chinese man with wide eyes.

“Don’t you see where you walk?” Lucas said harshly, staring at him with ice cold eyes, “you made me break the crystal ball.”

“I- I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were there,” Jungwoo stuttered, looking everywhere _but_ at Lucas, “I’ll be more careful next time. I’ll clean that up, don’t worry.”

Lucas didn’t pay attention to Jungwoo’s words, as he was trying to put back his glove. Lucas’ felt his heart skip a few beats during and after the incident, and he just wanted the leave after what happened. _I could have touched you._

“Where is the nearest bathroom?” Lucas asked, looking at Jungwoo with a serious expression. Jungwoo felt small just looking at him, and he weakly pointed down the corridor.

“It’s the last door to your left,” Jungwoo answered, and Lucas immediately started walking towards it. Jungwoo stared at the man as he walked down the corridor, and he felt a shiver run down his spine.

_That witch is definitely the most intimidating person I ever met._

 


	6. Angel and Demon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update took WAY longer than expected! I was bombarded with exams, but I'm glad I was able to finish before four weeks passed lol. I thought it was going to be a small chapter of like 2k words, but wow I was wrong. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also the song in the chapter lowkey sucks, sorry lol.

Coven History #6

  * The Elvan race was among one of the first on Earth.
  * There are two kinds of Elves: Elmhusk (small green creatures) and Elluin (wise and graceful people).
  * Both have the signature pointy ears, but the Elluins are the only ones with prophetic visions.
  * The Elluins Elves were descendent of a nature goddess, named Lurien, and inhabited the High Lands before descending to Earth.
  * The Elmhusks were creatures that first lived in the Dark Realm, but were banished on Earth when they rebelled against a High Demon.
  * Although uncommon, there has been accounts of sorcerers and Elluins elves falling in love, which explains why some sorcerers have Elvan blood.



_March 1_

“A penny for your thoughts?”

Doyoung entered Taeyong’s office nonchalantly, gazing at the old forgotten books in his shelf. Taeyong looked up from his desk, and sighed softly as he rubbed his eyes. The headache he’s been having all morning was worsening, but none of the healing spells have worked. Doyoung started walking towards one of the chairs that were placed in front of Taeyong’s desk. He has noticed the weak state of his Supreme, and was worried for his long-time friend.

“It’s just so hard…” Taeyong began, trying not to quiver. He didn’t want to look vulnerable in front of a Council member; even when he knew Doyoung would never judge him. Doyoung smiled softly, and placed a hand on Taeyong’s shaking hand.

“I know it’s been hard, but I want you to know that I’m here,” Doyoung said, comforting Taeyong by rubbing his hand gently. Taeyong sighed again, but this time it was loud and with uncertainty lingering on his eyes.

“You know we are living in dangerous times,” Taeyong stated, his hands still shaking, “that wizard that has been destroying other covens is probably targeting _us_ next.”

“And we will be ready when they do so,” Doyoung replied, “after all, we have the best Supreme.”

“I’m a terrible Supreme.”

“Absolutely not!” Doyoung shouted, flabbergasted at such a terrible lie. He removed his hands, and proceeded to cross his arms, hoping Taeyong would stop bringing himself down.

“Even if I was a good Supreme, my training never prepared me for this,” Taeyong said, leaning his arms on the desk and holding on to his chin. Doyoung looked at him quietly for a moment – contemplating what to say. He looked down at the desk and noticed a familiar book. It was a wrinkled mahogany novel of lullabies, and Doyoung remembered the contents of the book clearly. He used a telekinetic spell to open the book to a specific page. Taeyong glanced at the book being opened – confused with Doyoung’s intentions.

“Do you remember this song?” Doyoung asked, pointing at the top of the page. Taeyong nodded, remembering the times he will sing it with his coven members. Coven members that were now long gone after Suho was no longer the Supreme.

“Don’t you remember the lyrics?” Doyoung said, and he breathed deeply before he began softly singing.

“ _I know an honorable man,_

_Who loved his people._

_All he wants is to protect his clan._

_What he does not know, is the power of his own people._

_He believes he is alone._

_He believes he is too weak._

_And while he sits alone in his throne,_

_His people only see someone unique.”_

Doyoung finished singing a portion of the song, but he kept his gaze fixed towards Taeyong. The Supreme looked at Doyoung puzzled.

“What does a century year old song have to do with anything we are talking about right now?” Taeyong asked, questioning Doyoung’s actions.

“Don’t you see it? _You_ are that honorable man,” Doyoung explained, pointing at Taeyong.

“Taeyong, you might think you’re alone, but you’re _not_. Everyone in this coven believes in you. Everyone in this house believes in _our_ Supreme.”

Taeyong smiled softly at his friend, and even managed to chuckle at his words. Doyoung always knew how to comfort him, and help manage his uncertainties. He was lucky to have him by his side, as many of his other members left him behind when he was announced Supreme. Doyoung, Jaehyun, and Taeil stood by his side, and even his very close friend Seungcheol supported him along the way.

“So, is the Japanese witch staying?” Doyoung suddenly asked, changing the subject when he saw Taeyong coming back to his cheerful self.

“I mean, the poor man has nowhere to go,” Taeyong said, “the Japanese clan is practically gone.”

“This is worse than I thought,” Doyoung whispered, rubbing his eyes.

“Taeil told me what you saw in the warehouse, and it worries me that you were there. You could have gotten hurt…”

“Don’t worry about me. I know how to handle myself,” Doyoung responded, his mind wandering back at that dreadful experience.

“You’re my friend, of course I worry about you,” Taeyong said, “I really need you beside me.”

Doyoung smiled, and he grabbed Taeyong’s hands, squeezing it lightly. They both jerked when they heard the door opening, making a loud creaking noise. A shy Jungwoo appeared, and he looked down at the floor – waiting for Taeyong to welcome him.

“Jungwoo! Please come in,” Taeyong greeted, gesturing for Jungwoo to enter his office. Jungwoo waved at Doyoung, who waved back and patted at the seat next to him. Jungwoo sat down, and looked at Taeyong, and felt relieved as he saw his Supreme smiling sweetly at him. He thought he was in trouble after the incident last night with the Chinese witch, but he figured that Taeyong was still unaware of it.

“You…you called me earlier to come to your office,” Jungwoo said softly, still a bit intimidated to be in front of the Supreme. He’s never been so close and personal to Taeyong; not ever since he supposedly came back to life after the bus accident.

“Ah yes, I remember!” Taeyong answered, “I need to ask a favor from you.”

Jungwoo looked up in surprise, and Taeyong was still smiling at him with the same softness as before. The tall sorcerer had no idea what favor the Supreme may ask of him, but he listened closely.

“I hope you’re familiar with the Chinese coven,” Taeyong began, “because I need you to keep a look out for a particular sorcerer.”

Jungwoo stared at him with wide-eyes, but didn’t say anything. He just hoped Taeyong wasn’t talking about the man from last night…

“His name is Lucas,” Taeyong informed, “he’s pretty tall and is usually wearing gloves.”

Jungwoo felt his heart drop when he heard Taeyong’s words. He wanted to explain to Taeyong that he wasn’t on the best terms with Lucas, but he also didn’t want to disappoint his Supreme. Jungwoo looked down at Taeyong’s desk for a moment, contemplating how to respond.

“Is there a reason you want me to keep a look out on this particular person?” Jungwoo asked, choosing his words carefully. Taeyong nodded, and quickly glanced at Doyoung before returning his focus on the young sorcerer.

“Doyoung and I were talking yesterday about this witch,” Taeyong began, “and we believe he might have some demon heritage.”

“D-demon heritage?” Jungwoo gasped, hoping he heard wrong.

“I can sense demon blood anywhere I go, and for some reason I can sense _something_ when I am close to Lucas,” Doyoung interjected, though not bothering to look at Jungwoo as he checked his nails. Jungwoo was shocked to hear this new revelation, but he made sure not to show it on his face. Even if he didn’t want to interact with Lucas; Jungwoo knew it was Taeyong’s orders and he shouldn’t disobey.

“Do you want me to just be close to him and tell you what he does?” Jungwoo said, his voice quivering slightly. Taeyong nodded and smiled widely at Jungwoo.

“Hm, I think you should try to be his friend,” Doyoung insisted, “we don’t want him to feel like we see him a threat. Since he is not. _Y_ e _t_.”

Jungwoo gulped, but nodded at Doyoung’s suggestion. Taeyong saw Jungwoo shift uncomfortably, which made him worry for his coven member. He leaned closely towards Jungwoo, and placed a hand on Jungwoo’s arms.

“If you don’t want to do this, I completely understand. I can tell someone else to do it,” Taeyong stated, gripping at Jungwoo’s arms.

“No, I’ll do it!” Jungwoo replied quickly, startling Taeyong and Doyoung. Jungwoo looked down, embarrassed by his sudden outburst. Taeyong didn’t seem to look too deep into it – he widened his smile and clapped softly.

“I knew I could trust you,” Taeyong expressed, and Jungwoo smiled sheepishly. Taeyong then told the young witch that there wasn’t anything else to discuss, and Jungwoo took that as a cue to leave. Jungwoo stood up and bowed at Taeyong and Doyoung, before quickly leaving the office. Doyoung and Taeyong were left alone again, and they pondered over the favor they asked on the newest member.

“You think he’s right for this job?” Taeyong questioned, still uncertain with giving Jungwoo the burden of keeping an eye out for Lucas.

“Of course, there is no doubt,” Doyoung defended, leaning back on his chair, “I know what I saw.”

Doyoung wanders back to that particular memory of last night. A frightened Jungwoo apologizing to Lucas – and while the interaction was brief and cold, Doyoung knew he saw something special.

 

Jungwoo paced towards the hallway, cursing at himself for being too awkward in front of the Supreme. It’s been almost a month since he’s joined the coven, but everything still seemed foreign to him. He barely remembers that day of the accident, and his body was weak after he supposedly woke up from the dead. He still doesn’t believe the strange powers he has, but it seemed like a part of him. Taeyong told him he was one of a kind, yet Jungwoo found that hard to believe.

Jungwoo reached the backyard, which was a huge field with bright neon flowers of every color – which Jeno uses for his potions. Jungwoo loved coming out in the night, and see the flowers lit up in the dark like its own little city. He saw Jisung talking with a young Chinese witch with peculiar green hair, and Mark sitting on a bench talking to Jaehyun. Jungwoo scanned the garden, and a particular sight caught his attention. The man from last night was inside the greenhouse, gazing at the plants that were being raised by Jeno. The Korean sorcerer gulped, but saw how calm Lucas’ face seemed; completely different from yesterday. Jungwoo didn’t feel threatened, and analyzed further the complexion of Lucas’ face.

Jungwoo couldn’t deny that Lucas was handsome, and his bright puppy eyes really stood out. Even when Lucas was annoyed last night, Jungwoo still felt his eyes held some innocence in them. Lucas has a sharp jaw and plump lips; complimenting his large ears. Lucas was wearing a dark coat, with a new set of burgundy gloves. Jungwoo didn’t know what compelled him to start walking towards the Chinese sorcerer, but he couldn’t stop himself. He hoped the foreign man was in a better mood, since all Jungwoo wanted was to be in good terms with the visitors. Jungwoo carefully opened the door of the greenhouse, but Lucas didn’t seem to notice. Lucas was too enthralled by the mystical plant in the center of the greenhouse. It was a strange orchid, with what looked like a demon face in the center. The light pink petals formed like a claw at the end, creating some form of demonic shape. Jungwoo approached Lucas, and held his breath as he began talking.

“Jeno really loves these flowers,” Jungwoo revealed, standing beside Lucas. The latter jerked slightly – startled by the sudden appearance of Jungwoo. Lucas placed his hand on his chest, trying to control his breath. He didn’t answer to Jungwoo, and instead stood awkwardly next to him. Jungwoo looked down at the flower, sensing the tension between them.

“I hope you’re feeling welcomed here,” Jungwo said, biting his lower lip, “my name is Jungwoo.”

Jungwoo stretched his arm to greet Lucas, but Lucas didn’t return the gesture. Instead, the Chinese witch just looked away, and didn’t bother to socialize. Jungwoo placed his hands down, and felt like he had done something wrong. _Is he still mad about the crystal?_

“I know we didn’t meet in the best terms, but I still believe we can be good friends,” Jungwoo stated; not giving up on his mission. His eyes grew wide when Lucas suddenly turned to face him.

“What makes you think that?” Lucas asked, his forehead wrinkling. Jungwoo was caught off guard by the question, and it took him a moment to respond.

“I- I just think we should all be friends, don’t you think?” Jungwoo stated, “especially since your coven is staying here to help us.”

“So, you’re trying to be friends with me because I’m just helping you?”

“No, that’s not the only reason why!” Jungwoo replied, trying to defend himself, “I just want to be on good terms with everyone.”

“If you want to be on good terms with me, then just stay away from me,” Lucas responded coldly, frowning at the witch in front of him. Jungwoo stood there in shock – taking in Lucas’ words. Jungwoo huffed, and frowned back at Lucas.

“I just wanted to be nice, because I thought you were just mad at me for last night,” Jungwoo expressed, crossing his arms, “but I guess you just have a thing against everyone.”

“You don’t know who I am,” Lucas shot back, “just because you want to act nice to everyone doesn’t mean they suddenly want to be your friend.”

Jungwoo felt a pang on his chest as he heard Lucas’ words, and he opened his mouth in shock.

“I’m not the one who’s refusing to even shake hands with someone,” Jungwoo retorted, “apparently you weren’t taught any manners.”

Lucas’ eyes were fuming, and he pointed his finger at Jungwoo.

“You should be lucky I _didn’t_ shake hands with you,” Lucas shouted, looking around the room in anger.

“And why is that?” Jungwoo challenged, keeping his ground. Lucas stared at him, perplexed by the question. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, thinking how to respond. His eyes darkened, and he looked straight at Jungwoo.  

“Just stay away from me,” Lucas warned, “I don’t want to be your friend, and trust me, you don’t either. I’ve caused too much pain to those I care about.”

Jungwoo was confused by Lucas’ words, but before he could question any further, Lucas started walking away from the greenhouse. Jungwoo was left alone and shaken from the interaction. He didn’t know what caused Lucas’ anger, but Jungwoo also didn’t know many things about Lucas.

Jungwoo failed today, but for some odd reason, he still has hope that one day he will get close to Lucas. Jungwoo believes it’s his drive to not disappoint his Supreme, but there’s also something about Lucas that intrigues him. Jungwoo thinks it’s his loneliness in the coven that is making him think this way, but he can’t let go of the thought.

He has to know who Lucas is.

 

Johnny felt the wind messing with his hair as he sat down on a huge fallen trunk, not far from the coven house. He enjoyed following Mark and Haechan around, and usually laughing at their crazy shenanigans. Yet, he also appreciated spending time alone in the forest, gazing at the trees as they rustled calmly from the light wind. He loved the peacefulness of his surroundings, and he lost himself in his own thoughts.

Johnny suddenly heard a strange remote sound in between the trees. It was a low sound – hard for any human to hear. Jungwoo could only describe it as fast, and almost as if it was slithering. That was definitely odd, since the force field around the house made it impossible for any land animals to cross. Johnny let out a spark on three of his fingers, ready to attack if necessary.

Johnny jumped slightly when he saw a man appearing out of nowhere from behind the trees. The man stared at him with wide eyes, possibly feeling threatened by Johnny’s hands with fire. Johnny brushed off the fire, and smiled weakly at the witch. Johnny recognized him as one of the Chinese members, but he’s never seen him without another member on his side.

“Sorry, I was afraid you were an enemy,” Johnny uttered, hoping he looked less threatening. He thinks it worked, since the Chinese witch kept walking towards him. Johnny decided to sit back on the trunk, and patted his hands next to him, gesturing for the witch to join him. The witch followed his gesture, and sat beside him. Johnny didn’t expect company today, but he surprisingly didn’t seem to mind. The man had pitch black hair, and fierce dark brown eyes. Johnny thought he looked familiar, but he couldn’t figure out why.

“What’s your name?” Johnny asked, trying to start a conversation. The witch stared at him with intensity, and Johnny felt like he was being uncovered.

“Everyone calls me Ten,” the witch responded, staring at the scenery in front of him. The forest reminded him of home.

“Why does everyone call you by a number?” Johnny said, chuckling softly. Ten chuckled along with him and crept up a small smile.

“Because no one can really pronounce my long Thai name,” Ten explained. Johnny was surprised to hear this sudden information.

“You’re from the Thai covens?”

“Well I _was,_ but now I’m with the Chinese coven,” Ten replied, his lips tightening and his eyes drifting down. Johnny remembered the attack that happened in Thailand, and felt guilty from bringing up the topic.

“I’m sorry about what happened. I promise we’ll do everything to avenge them,” Johnny said, his voice low but comforting. Ten smiled weakly and mouthed ‘thank you’ to the Korean witch.

“I just want all of us to be safe,” Ten admitted, “I want all of us to live in peace.”

Johnny saw a sort of sad cloud surrounding Ten’s eyes. It tried to hide the pain and anger he felt after his coven has been destroyed. Johnny can’t imagine losing his coven brothers, and even thinking that one of them could get hurt made his heart drop.

“We will live in peace,” Johnny stated, “after all, we are all teaming up now.”

Ten chuckled, “I guess you’re right about that. By the way, you never told me your name.”

“Oh! Sorry about that,” Johnny exclaimed, “my name is Johnny.”

“Nice to meet you, Johnny,” Ten said, bowing lightly as he smiled, “sorry to have interrupted your alone time. I didn’t really know where I was, but I wanted to see the forest.”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind a bit of company. Do you usually venture the forest by yourself?”

“I guess. The Chinese members aren’t too huge on nature,” Ten replied, flailing his arms.

Johnny studied Ten’s face, and couldn’t grasp why Ten seemed so familiar. He knows he’s seen those deep dark eyes filled with pain, but also with fire intensity. Even Ten’s sleek figure, with a tiny waist and a small height was engraved in the deep parts of Johnny’s memories. It took Ten looking at him face to face; smiling tenderly at him to realize where he has seen his face.

“You’re the man in my dream,” Johnny shouted, and Ten stared at him with wide eyes.

“The man in your dream?”

“Yes, I saw you in a dream,” Johnny said breathlessly, “I didn’t see your face clearly, but I _know_ it was you. After all, the man in my dream turned into a snake, which is something I was told the Thai covens could do.”

“Wow,” Ten said in awe, “what do you think that means?”

Johnny stood silent for a moment, pondering over Ten’s question. Truth be told, Johnny had no idea what it meant. He managed to believe that his dream was just a simple nightmare, but meeting the person was shattering that belief. Johnny didn’t know if it was prophetic, but he knew it had to be significant.

“Maybe it means that it’s fate for us to have met each other,” Johnny simply answered. Ten’s eyes lit up at Johnny’s words, and he didn’t say a word. They didn’t _need_ to say nothing else. They both reached for each other, like magnets, and intertwined their fingers. They stared at each other in shock and confusion, but they wouldn’t let go. If fate brought them together, it seemed like fate also wanted them to stay close.

 

Lienim was particularly crowded today, and the main market buzzed with countless of people from different races. Green-skinned goblins were buying bitter winterberries to keep the pixies away from their houses. Shapeshifters of the Moon were seeking the elixir of anti-transformation, to keep them from turning against their will in the full moon. Centaurs were trading their glass stones to the dwarves in exchange for armory.

Taeil noticed the chaotic atmosphere of the city, which was justified by the lurking danger that is sure to come. It’s only been a day since the Council announced a state of emergency, and closed the borders of Lienim. The sister city, Ezam, has also been in a chaotic setting, and Woozi told Taeil that there has been a dark cloud hovering over them. Taeil worried for his long-time friend, but Woozi told him everything was under control.

Taeil wasn’t alone, and instead walked beside Kun, Winwin, and Yuta. He noticed the stares as they walked by, and everyone made way for them. The citizens of Lienim have never seen the Chinese Supreme, who walked with a sense of care and authority. The Supreme insisted to have one of his coven members come with him, and Taeil wanted Yuta to visit the Korean supernatural city, since he was now part of the coven. They all walked towards the Elvan district, where an old and reputable Elf sent a letter to the Council stating they had important information.

The Council leader was unsure of the letter, but Kun insisted they go and check for any suspicious activity. Taeil trusted the Elluin Elves, who were always gracious and wise with their words. The entrance to the Elvan district was surrounded by huge tree branches connecting together like a maze. The trees covered the area, with the sunlight never hitting it, and a dark shade surrounded the place. Floating lanterns roamed above, shining some light on the district. Yuta was mesmerized by the architecture of the Elvan district – with every house built inside a humongous tree. He knew the elves were very in touch with nature, but the Japanese elves kept mostly to themselves. It was the first time Yuta saw their culture so up close, and he even felt the air flowing swiftly. The elves always had a magical sense to them, since they received it from the nature goddess that created them. When the Elluins walked, it felt like they were floating instead of stepping on the ground.

“I can see you almost drooling,” Winwin commented, and Yuta gave him a playful frown.

“Wouldn’t you be?” Yuta asked, “this place is amazing.”

“You’ve never seen elves before?”

“I mean, I _have;_ but only when the leader came to talk to the Supreme,” Yuta explained, “never really seen so many at the same time. Have you?”

Sicheng chuckled, although Yuta would describe it more as snorted. Sicheng looked at the path in front of him, and smiled weakly as he remembered his homeland.

“Of course, I have met elves before,” Sicheng stated, “I have elvan blood.”

“What the fu-“

Before Yuta could continue his words, a loud horn erupted around the district; startling the Japanese witch. A golden gate opened up widely, and a group of elves emerged from them.

“Taeil, leader of the Council,” an elf muttered, “the Eldar demands to speak to you.”

“Ah yes, I received his letter,” Taeil replied, “I hope he doesn’t mind that I brought three other witches.”

The elf shook his head, and gestured them to follow him along with the group of elves. They entered one of the buildings built inside a huge trunk, and all the elves were staring at the witches as they passed by. Taeil was used to these halls, since he’s seen the Eldar plenty of times. Kun was analyzing the interior of the place, and he concluded that the Chinese elves were keener to detail. After all, the Korean elves were descendants of the Chinese elves, but migrated to Korea when the first Supreme reigned.

“Who is the Eldar?” Yuta whispered, leaning close to Sicheng.

“The Eldar is the leader of the elves in the district,” Sicheng explained, “he is the wisest and most noble of all elves.”

They finally reached grand double doors that had foreign Elvish speech engraved on it. One elf step forward, and began knocking in a strange pattern. When she finished the pattern, the locks on the door started turning one by one, and when the last lock lifted up, the doors opened. They walked inside the narrow halls, which were decorated with statues of Elven warriors. At the end of the hall a decorated chair was placed, with an elf sitting on it. The elf had a flower crown that accentuated his pointy ears, and he was wearing a long white robe.

“Seon, Eldar of the Korean elves,” Taeil said, standing in front of the elf, “I heard you were asking for me.”

“Yes, indeed,” Seon expressed, “I thought you will bring the Council along with you, yet it seems you bring new foreign allies.”

“Ah yes, I came with the Supreme of the Southern Chinese coven,” Taeil admitted, pointing at Kun who bowed slightly. Yuta and Sicheng followed Supreme Kun’s movements and paid respects to the Eldar.

“I welcome any allies of Taeil to my house,” Seon bowed back, “I greatly respect my Chinese brothers and sisters. May I ask, where is Supreme Taeyong?”

“He’s been having a meeting with Council member Doyoung all day. They’ve been planning what to do next,” Taeil explained, and Eldar Seon nodded.

“Very well, I don’t want to waste more of your time,” Seon said, grabbing a large scroll beside him, “ever since you declared that state of emergency, something has been bothering me greatly.”

Seon unrolled the ancient scroll, and he stood up from his chair. He walked towards the group of sorcerers and showed them the writings on the paper. It was written in a dead Elvish language; a language that has not been spoken ever since the new Elluins appeared on Earth.

“What does it say?” Kun asked, recognizing the ancient scriptures. The Chinese Eldar once told him that they keep important history and information in sacred scrolls; written in their ancestor’s language.

“It speaks of a prophecy that has shaped our culture and values,” Seon said, admiring the scripture, “it is a prophecy us elves hold deep into our hearts.”

Everyone looked at the Eldar, who looked like he was going to tear up at the mere sight of the scroll.

“When I started seeing the darkness appear in our lands, I knew the time has come,” Seon began explaining, “a dark time has bestowed upon us, and the great evil of the Dark Realm shall soon rise. The prophecy warned us of this evil, but it also told us that there is still hope.”

Seon started walking towards the hall, and he gazed at the ceiling, which was painted with an angel that looked down to Earth, and a fallen angel looking up.

“An angel among us would reveal the power of the skies, and a demon would fall in love with this angel. This union would bring forth an immense power that not even the greatest of evils can overcome. The elves have long been waiting for this prophecy to become true, and I believe it will happen soon.”

“So, you are telling me an angel and a demon would help us defeat whoever is bringing this evil?” Kun said, rubbing his chin.

“It is one of our sacred prophecies,” Seon answered, “and we believe the angel and demon could be among us _already_.”

A bang on the door alarmed everyone in the room. Taeil and Kun looked at each other, confused over the sudden noise. They started hearing muffled noises of metals clanking and screaming. Taeil knew this did not mean any good, and he formed a bright energy orb in his hands; waiting for the door to open. Kun’s eyes turned pure white, and he summoned two fire balls in his hands.

The banging grew louder, and the group knew the doors would burst at any moment. Sicheng created a blade with cosmic fire, and Yuta stood beside him with a dark fog forming on his hands. Seon turned around and looked at Taeil. He smiled tenderly at him, and his eyes glistened.

“I always dreamt of this day,” Seon stated, “it was an honor to have met you, Taeil.”

Taeil stared at Seon; confused on why the Eldar was telling him those words. He then saw Seon walking towards the door. Taeil called out to him, begging for Seon to stop.

“I always told myself I wouldn’t be ready,” Seon shouted, “but I have never been more ready than at this very moment. _Nutien, evas._ Farewell, my friend.”

The doors slammed open, and a swarm of gargoyles entered the room. Seon defended himself – slashing a few of the gargoyles. Taeil ran towards the Eldar, but stopped in his tracks as he watched his friend get stabbed by one of the gargoyle’s claws. Taeil yelled, and Seon looked at him for one last time before slamming on the ground. His eyes were still staring at Taeil, but they were lifeless.

Kun stared with an open mouth at the scene, but quickly recovered and faced the gargoyles with pure fury. His two fireballs expanded, and Kun started throwing them at the gargoyles. He heard the terrifying screams of the monsters as they engulfed into flames.

“Taeil, you need to go protect the elves!” Kun shouted, and Taeil nodded as he stared at the dead Eldar.

Taeil couldn’t believe how quick the Eldar was to sacrifice himself to help the witches. Taeil remembered his last words, and it pained him to know that Seon knew he was going to perish at that moment. With a new sense of revenge, Taeil bid his friend a final goodbye and stood up. He saw three creatures running towards him; their claws sticking out to attack. Taeil yelled and a white light exploded from his hands – destroying the creatures into pieces. Taeil ran outside, with Kun protecting him from the remaining gargoyles in the room. The Council leader saw a demon following two elves that were running for their lives.

“ _Sruya nio ara pre,_ ” Taeil chanted, and the demon bursts into flames. Taeil helped the two elves escape into safety, and he told them to gather the rest of the elves and leave the district. Taeil stood in place, waiting for any gargoyles to appear.

Inside the Eldar’s hall, there were still fifteen remaining creatures. Kun created a force field to stop them from approaching any further. He looked towards Sicheng, and the latter knew what he meant without saying any words. Sicheng charged towards the creatures with his cosmic blade, and one by one he began stabbing and decapitating the gargoyles. Sicheng was quick and swift, just as he was taught in his training. His heart was pounding, and it ached at the lost of an elf at the hands of a vile creature. _His_ people were in danger, and the Eldar died to protect them. Sicheng learned not to show any emotions, but he couldn’t stop from clenching his teeth in anger. He was in the middle of fighting a gargoyle, and his fury blinded his focus. He wasn’t looking behind him, and one of the creatures managed to reach him with claws out. Sicheng sensed something behind him, and he slashed the gargoyle he was fighting on the throat. Sicheng turned around, and the gargoyle lunged at him. The Chinese witch closed his eyes, expecting the blow from the gargoyle. Instead, he heard a loud screech close to him, and he opened his eyes. The creature was staring directly at him, but there was a hole in its’ chest. It fell on the ground, and behind it was Yuta looking at Sicheng with wide eyes. Sicheng was breathing heavily, but it stopped when it saw a gargoyle appear out of thin air. Yuta couldn’t respond as quick, and the gargoyle stuck a claw deep in his shoulders. Sicheng cried out to Yuta, and saw the Japanese witch struggling with the creature. The creature grabbed Yuta and threw him across the room, where he landed on one of the statues. He slammed on it hard enough to make it break in half.

The creature started walking in Yuta’s direction, hoping to finish him off. Sicheng screamed and ran towards the gargoyle, and with all his strength, he managed to decapitate it with one swift move. The gargoyle’s body fell on the ground, with the blood of Yuta still in its’ claws. Sicheng was out of breath, but the only thing on his mind was Yuta. Sicheng didn’t notice his Supreme killing the last two remaining monsters, since the sight of Yuta laying on the ground was haunting his mind. The Chinese sorcerer finally reached Yuta, and he crouched onto the floor, holding Yuta in his arms. Yuta’s head was bleeding, and he could barely move his left hand. Yet, even in immense pain, he was still smiling.

“You have to admit, I was pretty badass,” Yuta joked, coughing endlessly after he finished speaking. Sicheng chuckled and nodded, wanting Yuta to feel better.

“We’ll get you healed,” Sicheng promised, and it took all his strength to stop himself from tearing up. Yuta smiled, and he gripped onto Sicheng’s arms for support. He knew he might be exaggerating, but it didn’t matter to Yuta; he truly believed Sicheng was his guardian angel.      

Kun looked at Winwin and Yuta from afar, and he saw the way his ruthless witch killed that gargoyle with no remorse. That ruthless witch was now stroking Yuta’s hair tenderly, chanting a soft spell to make Yuta fall asleep. Kun knew Yuta’s wound were serious, but they were not mortal. Taeil entered the room, and Kun sighed in relief as he saw Taeil with no injuries. Taeil ran towards Yuta and Sicheng, and started performing a healing spell to Yuta. He whispered something to Sicheng, and the latter nodded.

It suddenly dawned to Kun a thought that could change the course of the future. Kun remembered the dark fogs in Yuta’s hands, and the spells he used were usually black magic. Sicheng fought with cosmic weapons, which are energy given from the gods. Kun saw how polar opposite they both were, and yet they clicked perfectly together. Kun gazed at the floor, and his eyes fell onto the scroll. Everything suddenly made sense to him.

Kun believed that Sicheng and Yuta were the angel and demon in the prophecy.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        


	7. Hand of Death/Author’s Note

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been sooo long since I updated, but I am finally done with finals! This was a short chapter, but *very* important. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Sorry for any grammar mistakes and sh*tty writing lol!

Coven History #7

  * In ancient times, ever since the start of writing and Chinese history, the first Chinese sorcerers rose to the Earth.
  * Five powerful Chinese men used dark magic to rule main parts of China.
  * Due to this, the gods of Light granted ten humble and poor men the power of Energy and Light.
  * They destroyed the dictators that used dark magic.
  * The ten kept their powers to promote good and protect the world from malice.



 

_March 3_

The trees rustled calmly in the early morning, and the scent of pines emanated through the greenhouse. Jeno gazed at the neon flowers as they bloomed at the early stages of spring. He sprayed some magical fertilizer he made himself, and watched as the petals moved and expanded. He smiled as he saw a single bright blue flower blooming at his sight, and he remembered how hard it was to raise that particular flower. Jeno walked towards the back of the greenhouse, where he kept his flasks – filled with uncountable potions.

Jeno was focused on the formula next to him; analyzing the three flasks with an odd green liquid inside. They all contained the same ingredients, but were prepared differently. Jeno was having a hard time deciding which flask was the best one. According to his calculations, which Supreme Taeyong contributed on; all the flasks were equally effective as long as they have the right ingredients. Jeno started reaching for the middle flask.

“Jeno!” Jaemin suddenly yelled, startling Jeno. The latter almost dropped the flask, but he balanced it at the last second.

“Jaemin, you scared the crap out of me,” Jeno said breathlessly, and his hands clung to his chest. Jaemin put his hands up, trying to seem not guilty. He laughed, and for a second Jeno felt his heart skip a bit.

“To be fair, I made a lot of noise as I was coming in,” Jaemin answered, “let’s just say a few pots have been broken.”

“What-“ Jeno began, but did not bother to finish. He shook his head, and decided to deal with the mess later. He resumed his work at the table beside him, and started pouring one of the potions in a spraying bottle. Jaemin lurked behind him; and tip-toed close to Jeno for a clearer view.

“What are you doing?” Jaemin asked, gazing at the bright green formula. Jeno chuckled, and raised the bottle up in the air, tapping it lightly.

“I’m going to test a potion which will make me be able to talk freely to plants,” Jeno explained. Jaemin stared back at him wide-eyed.

“But don’t you already talk to plants,” Jaemin commented, tapping the bottle with Jeno.

“Well, I can sort of guess what they’re telling me,” Jeno admitted, “but now I’ll finally _understand_ them.”

Jeno picked up one of the pots beside the table, and it contained a single light blue orchid. He placed the pot on top of the table, and sprayed the potion slowly and carefully. Jaemin waited along with him – hoping a miracle would happen.  

One minute turned into five minutes quickly, and the orchid stayed still throughout it all. Jeno sighed in disappointment, and began looking at his notebook – revising the potion ingredients.

“I don’t understand…” Jeno began, “I’m pretty sure I did everything correct.”

He quickly grabbed the next flask, and poured it on the spraying bottle. He engulfed another orchid with the potion, but just like the first one, it amounted to nothing. He sighed, and hoped the last flask was effective. He repeated his routine, and watched the last orchid carefully. He gasped as the stem of the orchid twitched slightly, but then it never moved again. Jeno pouted at the unsuccessful experiment, and started analyzing his formula.

“Maybe you’re not supposed to spray it on the flower,” Jaemin said, rubbing Jeno’s shoulders. Jeno shook his head as he looked down on his notebook.

“Where else would I put it?” Jeno replied, “I’ve been working on this for months with Taeyong, but something _has_ to be wrong. I just don’t know where to even start looking.”

“Hm, don’t beat yourself about it too much,” Jaemin comforted, hugging Jeno from the back. Jeno stood tensely as he felt Jaemin’s hands on his waist, and his chin rested on Jeno’s shoulders.

“I’m sure you will find the solution,” Jaemin said, his voice muffled as he hugged Jeno, “now let’s go eat some lunch, I’m starving!”

Jaemin chuckled and nodded, yet all he wanted was for Jaemin to stay in that position. Unfortunately, Jaemin stopped hugging him, but he reached for Jeno’s hands. Jeno smiled and took it, and they both walked away from the greenhouse and into the coven house.

“You think they’ll have my favorite pasta today?” Jaemin asked, and Jeno grinned widely.

“I’m sure they will.”

 

“There has to be a way to get him to open up,” Jungwoo sighed, plopping down on the couch. Doyoung rolled his eyes and gestured for Jungwoo to lift his head. Doyoung sat down on the couch, and Jungwoo laid his head onto Doyoung’s lap. The older witch started stroking Jungwoo’s hair, and Jungwoo closed his eyes.

“You just need to have patience, darling,” Doyoung expressed, “he’s not the type to get close with anyone that talks to him.”

Jungwoo pouted, and stared blankly at the wall. He hated to admit how much the Chinese sorcerer was affecting him. Jungwoo blamed it on the rude attitude of the witch, as he told himself that he has never experienced such _rudeness_. People were usually kind and protective towards Jungwoo, since he was always told he had a charming face and a _cute_ voice. Lucas was extremely different to what he was accustomed – with his cold gaze and defensive tone.

“I’ve done nothing but be nice to him,” Jungwoo whined, crossing him arms, “he’s just being a major jerk.”

“Stop acting like a twelve-year-old, Jungwoo,” Doyoung scolded, “he will _especially_ not like you if you keep complaining.”

“I’m not complaining,” Jungwoo muttered under his breath.

“I heard that, darling,” Doyoung said, looking down at Jungwoo.

Jungwoo sighed deeply and lifted his body to sit down properly on the couch. He turned to look at Doyoung with a stern look, but he quickly softened his face as he saw the Council member.

“I’m just lost on what to do,” Jungwoo admitted, looking down in shame, “and Taeyong is counting on me to help look out for this sorcerer. I don’t want to disappoint him.”

Doyoung smiled tenderly, and placed a hand on Jungwoo’s chin and moving his face up.

“Look at me,” Doyoung said, and Jungwoo reluctantly looked back. Doyoung’s hands traveled toward Jungwoo’s shoulder and he kept them there.

“You’ll _never_ disappoint Taeyong, I want you to know that clearly,” Doyoung assured, and Jungwoo smiled weakly, “he loves everyone in this coven _too_ much to ever be disappointed.”

Doyoung gazed at the background behind Jungwoo, and heard some commotion on top of the stairs. He heard  foreign whispers in some room upstairs, which he recognized as Mandarin. It was clear the Chinese coven were meeting upstairs. Hearing the particular language gave Doyoung an idea.

“ _Actually,_ why don’t you go talk to Lucas now?” Doyoung suddenly suggested. Jungwoo widened his eyes and shifted uncomfortably in the couch. Doyoung gestured with his head towards the directions of the stairs, and Jungwoo looked at it dreadfully. He gulped loudly, but nodded slightly and stood up. He looked at Doyoung one last time, and the latter gave him two thumbs up.

Jungwoo walked up the stairs, thinking of what to tell Lucas.

He enters the hallway – still dark even in the daytime. He hears shuffling inside the rooms as he passes by them, and innocent laughs of Jisung and Chenle. Jungwoo continues to walk, and he senses a thick atmosphere as he nears Lucas’ room. He doesn’t know why he starts to feel this strange tension inside of him. Yet, he feels a magnetic force pulling him towards the sorcerer’s room.

He finally reached the door, and didn’t knock right away. It was impossible for Jungwoo to move his hands, and he just stood in front of the door. He contemplated on whether or not this was a good idea, and he looked to his left – where the door to his room tempted him. He knew he would feel much better if he was in his room. He would feel safe.

The door suddenly made a clicking sound, and Jungwoo jerked. It opened widely – revealing a surprised Lucas. The Chinese witch looked at Jungwoo with confusion, but he quickly frowned. Jungwoo stood awkwardly in front of the sorcerer, and he started scratching the back of his neck. Lucas rolled his eyes, and he gestured for Jungwoo to move out of the way. Jungwoo felt his heart drop, but he nodded and did what Lucas ordered. Lucas walked away from his room – ignoring any signs from Jungwoo.

 

Xiaojun always loved the sound of rain. He loved the calmness and nostalgic aura it brought with it. When he heard the few drops slipping through his window, needless to say, he was delighted. He grabbed a small leather notebook from his _very_ old suitcase. Xiaojun sighed softly as he looked at his suitcase. It was his first and only suitcase. The borders were almost scrapped off and the original burgundy color was faded to the point of almost looking white.

He had many chances of getting a new suitcase, but he always ended up coming back with the same one. It shouldn’t be special to him, yet he couldn’t let go. For some reason, it reminded him of himself. Not many people knew just how old he was, but his eyes compiled years of peace but also the brutal reality of suffering the loss of loved ones.

He walked towards the desk in front of the window. The sound of the rain calmed him, and he sat down on the crooked chair. He didn’t mind the chair’s flaws – and he only focused on the notebook that was now placed on the desk.

His eyes lingered on the pages of the notebook, covered with countless poems and songs he wrote throughout his long years. He wrote about the blessings of magic, but also the curses. He wrote poems on the wars the Chinese coven have endured,  but also the eras of peace and tranquility. They were all written when it was raining. It was Xiaojun’s only rule.

He grabbed a calligraphy pen near him, and placed the tip of the pen onto the paper. It stained the page, but Xiaojun was still unsure on what to write.

_I think I love him._

Xiaojun stopped writing when he heard a faint knock on the door. He quickly closed his notebook and started brushing off any dust from his shirt. He walked towards the door and opened it carefully. Xiaojun saw Lucas standing in front of him, with a serious glare on his face.

“May I come in?” Lucas asked in a hoarse voice. Xiaojun was surprised to see Lucas coming unexpectedly to his room, but he nodded and made way for Lucas to enter.

Lucas walked inside Xiaojun’s room, and he took a quick glance around the room. It was neat except for the bed that was not made. The room had a distinct smell that reminded Lucas of pine trees and the fall season.

“I must say, you’re the last person I would have thought to enter my room,” Xiaojun admitted, “what brings you here?”

“Well, you’re the leader of the Council,” Lucas began, “and I wanted to express some concerns of mines.”

“Wouldn’t that be something you will tell Kun?” Xiaojun said, “after all, he is your Supreme.”

Lucas clenched his jaw, and sat down on Xiaojun’s bed.

“I fear Kun’s compassion has clouded his judgement,” Lucas replied, and Xiaojun furrowed his eyebrows.

“What do you mean?”

Lucas gestured for Xiaojun to sit next to him.

“Kun trusts everyone in this house,” Lucas explained, “and I think someone here might not have the best intentions.”

“Lucas, you need to be clearer. What do you mean someone here doesn’t have the best intentions?”

“I don’t trust that Japanese witch,” Lucas answered, “I don’t think it’s a good idea to trust him blindly.”

Xiaojun stared at Lucas in shock. It was a bold statement made from the Chinese witch.

“Have you seen something? Why can’t we trust him?”

“I’ve been sensing danger, and it has become more prominent ever since he entered the picture. Don’t you think that’s a coincidence?”

“Maybe because he came from danger.”

“So, we are suddenly going to believe every word he said?”

“That’s what we did with Ten; and you trust him, don’t you Lucas?”

“Of course, I do!” Lucas replied, “it’s different with him.”

Xiaojun sighed, and rubbed his chin as he stared at Lucas. He contemplated how to respond to Lucas’ worry. Xiaojun never saw himself as the one to offer advice to someone. That was always Kun’s job, and Xiaojun was grateful that Kun was the Supreme instead of him.

“I think…it’s best to keep this to yourself – at least for now. Kun has grown…quite fond of the Japanese man. Also, you’ve seen how Winwin…”

“That’s the problem, Xiaojun. Winwin seems way too close to him. For someone who has always been cold and calculated, he is falling head over heels on someone we barely know.”

“Look,” Xiaojun began, almost placing a hand on Lucas’ but stopping at the last second, “when I feel the time is right, I’ll inform Kun of this worry. I’ll tell him like if I am the one with the concern, not you. Is that alright?”

Lucas smiled and nodded, and he was surprised when Xiaojun shifted closer towards him.

“You’re usually very reserved, Lucas, so I don’t get to talk to you often,” Xiaojun expressed, “but I still remember that promise I swore to you years ago.”

“Xiaojun, that’s a lost cause.”

 

Jungwoo walked with his head down, as he cursed himself for ruining the one chance he had to talk to Lucas. He was starting to believe it was folly this mission to become close to this sorcerer. It wasn’t even about Taeyong’s orders anymore, but this _need_ to figure out the sadness behind those eyes. It sounded completely stupid in Jungwoo’s mind, but he couldn’t stop thinking about this man. Jungwoo has never faced this level of rejection before, and while it sounds a bit selfish, it hurt his ego whenever Lucas ignored him.

_“Lucas, there has to be a cure.”_

Jungwoo stopped in his tracks when he heard the familiar name. The voice came from the door to his left, and while Jungwoo tried to stop himself, his feet were moving towards that direction. Jungwoo shook his head, but his face neared the door to listen closely. He hated to eavesdrop, but maybe he will learn something important about Lucas.

_“I’ve given up finding a cure.”_

Cure? What is Lucas talking about?

_“I’ve seen different herbs in Korea. That Korean witch that works at the greenhouse can have something that is useful to us.”_

_“Don’t you get it, Xiaojun? This can’t be solved with some…plants. This is part of who I am.”_

The room became eerily quiet, and Jungwoo felt a knot on his throat.

_“Lucas, let me take a look at it.”_

_“You want to look at it?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“Wait a minute…”_

Jungwoo began hearing some shuffling inside the room, like furniture being moved and books being tossed. Jungwoo jumped in fright when the door suddenly opened widely. Lucas glared at him angrily, and Jungwoo felt like the world was pressing on his head. Jungwoo sensed the heat of anger coming out from Lucas, and he knew he couldn’t make a good excuse for eavesdropping.

“What in the _fuck_ are you doing here?”

Lucas’ aggressive tone made Jungwoo flinch, but the latter still looked at the floor. Jungwoo felt his cheeks turning red in shame, but he couldn’t even begin to explain himself. Xiaojun emerged from his room, and immediately felt the tension between the two sorcerers. Xiaojun tenderly grabbed Jungwoo’s arms and pulled him towards the room. The witch hoped he could protect the poor Korean witch from Lucas’ wrath.

Lucas went inside the room, and he pointed his fingers furiously at Jungwoo. It wasn’t until then that Jungwoo noticed the absence of gloves from Lucas’ hands.

“You,” Lucas began, still pointing at Jungwoo, “you’ve been irritating me since day one. I already told you to stay away from me.”

“Why are you so mean to me?” Jungwoo asked, finally garnering the courage to speak. He was starting to regret ever opening his mouth when he saw Lucas’ angry eyes.

“You really want to know why?” Lucas said, moving closer to Jungwoo, “I will show you why.”

Lucas quickly stretched his arms out towards Jungwoo, and their hands were inches apart. Jungwoo saw Lucas’ hands reaching for him in an instant, but Xiaojun suddenly pulled him back.

“ _Arue,”_ Xiaojun casted, and Lucas’ arms were flung to the opposite side. Everything happened so quickly that Jungwoo was still processing what had just happened. Lucas looked over to Xiaojun in shock for using a spell against him.

“I can’t believe you almost touched him, Lucas,” Xiaojun remarked, looking at Lucas in contempt. Lucas looked at Xiaojun, and then at Jungwoo who was standing behind the Chinese witch.

“I…I wasn’t…”

“Lucas, you don’t know the damage you could have caused.”

“Xiaojun, I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone,” Lucas said, his eyes watering, “I don’t know what compelled me to do this.”

“What’s going on?” Jungwoo asked, interrupting Xiaojun’s and Lucas’ discussion.

“He was going to touch you,” Xiaojun explained, but Jungwoo was still confused over the whole situation.

“Why can’t he touch me?” Jungwoo said, but no one answered. Lucas sat down on the desk chair and covered his face in shame. Xiaojun sighed and walked towards the center of the room, picking up Lucas’ gloves from the floor.

“Answer me,” Jungwoo demanded, growing desperate each second, “why can’t he touch me without his gloves?”

“Because it will kill you.”

A voice emerged from the door, catching everyone’s attention. Jungwoo furrowed his eyebrows; confused at seeing Taeil. The Council leader walked inside the room and inspected every inch of it.

“W-what do you mean it could kill me?” Jungwoo asked, his voice breathless from shock.

“Lucas can’t touch anyone,” Taeil explained, “his touch causes instantaneous death.”

Jungwoo opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He couldn’t begin to explain what he felt or the thoughts that were scrambling in his head in pure chaos. _Death? By a touch? How is that possible?_

“Who told you this?” Xiaojun questioned, glancing nervously at Lucas, “was it Kun?”

“No, not at all,” Taeil replied, “Doyoung told me he sensed something different about Lucas, so we decided to research a bit deeply into the coven. It wasn’t hard to find old Chinese coven records of Lucas’…abilities.”

Lucas couldn’t face anyone in the room as he heard Taeil’s words. It was not the first time someone was talking about his _condition_ in front of him, but he felt sick and ashamed this time. He couldn’t grasp why he felt this internal guilt, and partially blamed it on the presence of the one person he’s been ignoring for so long. Lucas’ chest felt compressed and it was getting difficult for him to breathe. He got up suddenly, startling Xiaojun who was close to him. Without a single glance, Lucas sprinted out of the room.

Jungwoo didn’t need a reason, or at least a _good_ reason, but he followed Lucas outside the room.

“Jungwoo, please be kind to him,” Taeil shouted as Jungwoo left, “tell him we all care for him.”

Taeil glanced back at Xiaojun, and sighed deeply as he rubbed his forehead.

“Maybe…it was wrong of me to find information,” Taeil expressed, “I didn’t know it was a sensitive subject for him.”

“Don’t worry,” Xiaojun said, “everyone had to know the truth sooner or later.”

“I just hope he knows that we never judge anyone here for something out of their control,” Taeil assured, “we will never make him feel less of a person.”

“Thank you, Taeil,” Xiaojun said, “you and everyone else in the coven have been very kind to us.”

They both smiled at each other, and Xiaojun formally invited Taeil to sit down and have a chat.

 

Jungwoo was out of breath by the time he reached the rooftop. He knows that Lucas was trying to lose him, but Jungwoo only focused on those heavy footsteps that led him to where he is now. It’s been a long time since he’s been in this place of the house, and Jungwoo instantly felt the pounding silence of everything except for the wind. The rough winds ruffed his hair and whistled through his ears. He expected to find Jisung here, but there were no traces of him. Instead, he found a vulnerable Lucas sitting down at the edge of the roof. He was hugging his legs and gazing at the forest that surrounded the house.

Jungwoo sighed softly, and he cautiously walked towards Lucas. The witch sat down next to Lucas, and he was expecting an angry outburst from the latter. Instead, he was met by silence and a tearful Lucas. They sat there in silence for a long moment, as Jungwoo was thinking about what to say. Jungwoo was surprised when he heard a long breath coming out from Lucas.

“I guess now you realize my terrible curse,” Lucas whispered, his voice slightly quivering.

“I…” Jungwoo began, looking closely at Lucas, “I don’t see it as a curse.”

“You don’t know what it’s like to have death surrounding you. With a single touch I can _feel_ the rotten feeling of death.”

Jungwoo fought the urge to touch Lucas’ hands and comfort him, but he knew it was impossible given the circumstances.

“You probably think I am a freak,” Lucas remarked, hiding deeper between his legs. Jungwoo was surprised to hear this from Lucas. Jungwoo admits he doesn’t know Lucas like the members from the Chinese coven, but he will never see Lucas in such a manner.

“I will _never_ think you’re a freak,” Jungwoo said breathlessly, “we might not be close friends, but I can see that you are not an evil man. After all, you are my ally.”

“Don’t you see it?” Lucas said, “Don’t you see what I can do? I almost _touched_ you because I was mad. I could have…killed you.”

“But nothing happened, and I know that you will never hurt me.”

Lucas chuckled and finally stared back at Jungwoo.

“You think too highly of me.”

“Well, I think you’re extraordinary.”

“You think I am extraordinary?” Lucas asked surprised.

“Of course, you have so much strength in you, and especially with what you have,” Jungwoo explained, “I think you handle it pretty well.”

“You don’t want to know about what I did in the past,” Lucas whispered, his eyes clouding with pain.

“I don’t have to know,” Jungwoo replied, “because that is not you now.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

Jungwoo shrugged at the question, but smiled at him.

“Maybe because you’ve been a bit mean to me,” Jungwoo joked, “so I wanted to balance it out.”

Lucas laughed softly at Jungwoo’s response, and shook his head as he thought of their interactions.

“Sorry, I’ll be nicer to you starting from now.”

Jungwoo giggled and nodded at Lucas. They sat in silence, gazing at the scenery in front of them. There was no awkwardness between them. Instead, they opened the door to a new found friendship, where Lucas felt accepted – even with his dark curse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaah I am so excited for the next chapter. It might take me a bit long because, trust me, it is going to be a looong chapter and everyone would be in it. (Yes, all 21 members)
> 
> The Coven History section, as always, has so much more lore and information, but I do not include it because it will take so much space. I also have backstory details from every member, so if you have any questions, just ask. :)
> 
> See you in the next chapter!
> 
> UPDATE: I know it’s been a long time since I have updated, but I’ve been busy planning aus and another ao3 fic. I will DEFINITELY continue this story and have started the chapter but it is loooong and it will take some time. Just know that there will be more chapters I just need a bit more time.

**Author's Note:**

> twitter: luwoo_woocas (I will post whenever I update, and I also do luwoo social media aus)
> 
> Special thanks to my friend and editor, Nath! twitter: @lucasdream0125
> 
> Please tell me what you think! Feedback is greatly appreciated!


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